Of Soft Breezes and Wintry Nights
by freaky-hanyou
Summary: Claire Archer has believed in fairy tales all of her life, and will continue to do so-even when they cover your car in frost every morning. Will meeting Jack be the best thing that's ever happened to her or have deadly consequences? JackxOC, fluff and adventures ahead!
1. Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire

Hello there! If you've never seen one of my stories before, nice to meet you! If you're on my alerts and made this face ( o. O ) when you saw what I was posting, I can explain.

I really _really_ love this movie, and despite my utter dislike of OC, there really is no other option, and I seriously cannot get this story out of my head.

So I really hope you enjoy it! (Please let me know if you enjoy it, this is waaaay out of my territory) Also, I've only seen the movie, so this is set after the movie and in my own little unique world of imagination.

Disclaimer: Not owned by me!

"talking" _thinking_ ((scenechange/me)) ((Sidebar: Did you know you can spell Wintery/Wintry two ways?))

**Of Soft Breezes and Wintry Nights**

_Chapter One: Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire…_

_~Jack Frost nipping at your nose…~_

Jack Frost sighed as he leaned back on his tree branch, absentmindedly causing the branches to frost over as he watched the sun rise. _I'm really starting to hate that song._

Ever since Jack had become a Guardian, he was introduced to a few unique "gifts" that only Guardians were "blessed" with. Every time someone mentioned his name, he heard them in his head, like his own personal thought bubbles. The more people that believed in him, the more he heard. The benefit to this was that should someone ever need him (_need him?_ He wondered, he made it snow for heaven's sake) he would be able to find them easily. Unfortunately, because he was not too well known outside of his small town yet, he only had the occasional interruption to his thought processes. However, because his name was mentioned _oh so casually_ in The Christmas Song, now that it was the Christmas season he heard that particular lyric multiple times a day.

_North said I would get used to this,_ he thought darkly as he stood, stretching, _but it's really just annoying. Maybe once more kids hear of me, I'll get some cries for Snow Days—_

His thoughts were derailed by a new 'message.'

_Dammit Jack Frost, now I'm going to be late for class! Idiot…_

Jack raised an eyebrow. That was new. He'd never heard a voice that sounded so _mature_ before that wasn't singing The Christmas Song. _What's this…?_ He wondered, jumping into the wind to fly in the direction of the voice.

-((to the voice!))-

Claire Archer continued to mutter choice expletives about a certain wintry being as she tried in vain to scrape the frost off of her car. The wind also blew her brown hair into her eyes, adding to her frustration.

_Dammit, Dammit, Dammit! I'm never going to get to class now!_ _Stupid teaching observation, stupid school that's a half hour away, stupid Jack Frost…_Her parents had raised her to believe in the impossible, including Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and Jack Frost. Most children stopped believing at some point, but Claire had a better use for her beliefs—mainly cracking jokes at the mythical legends and blaming them for her troubles…

…which currently consisted of her running late to observe a high school Spanish class for one of her college courses.

"I can't drive if I can't _see_, Jack," she muttered darkly, continuing to curse as she finally carved a small porthole out of the frost on the windshield. Grateful that she could at least drive now, she hurriedly got in the car and took off towards the school.

-((Meanwhile))-

"Interesting," Jack muttered to himself as he watched the scene unfold from a far off tree near the parking lot. "She…believes in me?" His curiosity only grew as he listened, watching her drive off into the growing light.

A gleam of mischief in his eye, Jack was already creating plans for the next morning.

-((the next morning))-

"Oh come on!" Jack heard the girl exclaim when she saw her car covered in frost the next morning. He grinned, watching from a tree again as she hurriedly reached into her car for her scraper before furiously working at her windshield.

"I bet you think this is funny Jack," she murmured as she cleaned off the car, "but frost is nothing but an inconvenience! Why don't you make it snow? I can brush snow off my car in two seconds, but frost!" She continued her early morning rant as she got into the car and drove away.

Jack felt slightly guilty as he watched her drive away. He didn't know why, such shenanigans were his calling card—but as he listened to the girl, he couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

_Then again, _he thought, resolve hardening, _I'm Jack Frost! Frost is in my _name!_ We can't go a winter day without frost!_ He considered his options. On one hand, he could go a day without frosting her car, which was unacceptable in his opinion.

_I guess I could let her know I have her best interests at heart,_ he decided before flying off to cause more mischief.

-((the next morning))-

Claire made sure to wake up early this time. She carefully pulled her brown hair back underneath her hat and buttoned her coat before setting out into the harsh winter chill.

"I really wish it would just snow already," she thought, walking out to her (surprise!) frosted car. Sighing, she reached into her car to grab the scraper…

….Before promptly dropping it and squealing in surprise at the sight of the word '_SORRY'_ carved into the frost on the front of her car.

-((To be continued!))-

What do you think? Interesting start? Because I don't normally do chapter fics, I plan to _rock this out_ and fast over break. I didn't mean to start it until then, but I just couldn't help it anymore. So I don't think I'll be able to get to this until the weekend, but I greatly value your opinion.

Please let me know what you think!

~freaky-hanyou


	2. You've Got Mail

Did I say I couldn't update until this weekend? Yes, and it's true, but I'm going to not write my final exam and do this instead because I am so _floored_ by all the notifications I am getting! Thank you so much you guys.

I also realize that first chapter wasn't a lot to review on, so those of you who favorited without reviewing, I see you ;)

And those of you that did review, this is for you :D Thank you!

**Of Soft Breezes and Wintry Nights**

_Chapter Two: You've Got Mail_

Claire stared at her windshield, unblinking. Her thoughts ran over one another trying to explain this phenomenon as she slowly bent to pick up the scraper. She stood up, staring at the windshield again.

"You've got to be kidding," she said aloud, trying to think of people who could have done this. She didn't really know anyone who lived in her apartment complex, and she hadn't been angered by anyone.

Except Jack Frost.

"Jack…?" She whispered, trying to cling to her previous undoubting belief. _He's actually…Did he? No, there's no way…but it is possible…When you believe in something, you should believe in it all the way,_ she reasoned with herself. …_Even if it freaks you out. Okay, so say he did do this then…Why not._

-((The tree))-

Jack nearly laughed aloud as she dropped the scraper in shock. _Oh this is perfect,_ he thought, grinning as she slowly bent to pick it up. He waited for she was going to say with keen anticipation.

_Jack?_ He heard in his head, although it sounded slightly fuzzy. _Fuzzy?_ Jack thought, _is she losing her belief? Did I scare her?_ The last thing he wanted to do was to frighten her. Suddenly, he wanted to take all of it back, he wished he never let her know he was there-

_I guess it's okay Jack,_ he heard in his head clearly, _Winter is winter right? But some snow instead wouldn't hurt._ He watched her smile at no one in particular before she got into her car.

Jack couldn't figure out why he felt so relieved.

-((the next morning))-

Claire locked her apartment door and headed for her car, half expecting to see messages written on her windshield. _Don't be crazy Claire,_ she told herself. _That was probably a one time thing. It's not every day that Jack Frost sends you messages—_she stopped short, staring at her car.

All the other cars had the normal thin layer of frost associated with the first signs of winter. Her car had four inches of snow piled on it.

As if in a daze, she walked over to the front of her car, touching the powdery substance like it was made of gold. She stared at it for a moment before bursting into giggles. "Oh Jack," she said smiling before she climbed into her car and used the windshield wipers to push the harmless snow away.

In a far off tree, Jack grinned to himself, glad to hear her laughing voice.

-((some hours later, early evening))-

Jack wasn't quite sure why he waited for her to come home. He had loads of other places to go that required his mischief, but for some reason he found he didn't want to.

_Hmmm,_ he thought, pondering these new developments as he lay on his tree branch, watching the road. _This is an entirely new thing. I'm just…curious I guess. I want to know more about her._

At that moment, said girl's car pulled into the parking lot, and said girl stepped out of the car before slowly walking to her apartment. Jack leapt out of the tree and followed her, hovering from a distance.

_I have to be careful; she can probably see me,_ Jack thought as he watched her open a door to an apartment complex. He watched the windows as she climbed the stairs, looking for any sign as to what window represented her apartment. Soon after, he watched her open the shade to what appeared to be a living room before disappearing. Then, light shone from behind a curtain on a nearby window.

_That's her! _Jack thought, hovering close to the corner of the covered window. He tried to peek through the light curtains to see where she lived. Unnoticed by him, frost began to gather on the window.

_Interesting,_ he thought, intrigued by this girl who believed in him. He couldn't tell the color of her eyes, but he was entranced by her shoulder-length brown hair and silhouette. All too soon, however, the girl felt his eyes upon her, and as she turned to look at the window he ducked, not wishing for her to see him.

-((switch!))-

Claire approached the window slowly. _I swear I just saw someone there…_she thought cautiously, _which would be a pretty impressive feat on the third story. _She pulled back the window and saw nothing but a large accumulation of frost. Her eyes narrowed.

_That is, it would be an impressive feat if you couldn't _fly,she thought, grinning. "I caught you Jack," she said, grinning as she stared at the frost. "You've left some pretty incriminating evidence!"

Not expecting a reply, she turned to go to the kitchen before being struck with an idea. She stopped, turning back to the window. Opening it slightly, she reached her hand out into the cold to carve into the frost with her fingernail:

_Thank You._

Smiling to herself, she shut the curtain before setting off into the kitchen to prepare dinner.

-((Meanwhile))-

Jack listened from underneath the windowsill as the girl scraped something onto the window. Once the window shut, he cautiously looked above him. Seeing that she had closed the curtains again, he flew up to the window and inhaled sharply, seeing her message.

_Thank You._

He stared at it for a moment, grinning stupidly. Mischief gleamed in his eyes as he got another idea. He refrosted the window before writing his own message…

-((Later))-

Claire snapped her textbook shut, sighing happily. _Bedtime!_ She thought as she packed her bag for the next day. As her thoughts wandered, her gaze fell on the window. She stared at it in indecision.

_Did he get my message? _She wondered. _Maybe I should check…_ She started to walk towards the window before stopping herself. _No, that'd be crazy…_ She turned away. _Then again,_ she thought, _this morning was crazy…_

_I could use a little crazy, _she thought, reaching for the curtain.

_**Ring!**_

Claire was startled out of her reverie as her cell phone rang. She reached into her pocket and answered, "Hello?"

"How's my beautiful baby sister doing?" the grinning voice said.

"Hey Hunter," she said, collapsing onto her bed. "Nothing much, working hard, studying so I can graduate debt-free like my handsome brother," she replied.

Hunter Archer (their parents had a sense of humor) grinned, pushing his sandy blonde hair out of his face as he sat down on a chair in his living room. "That's my girl. I just wanted to make sure you were still you know, _alive_, because you never call me and all—"

"Why would I bother when you religiously call me three times a week?" Claire said, grinning.

Hunter pouted at the cell phone. "I see that I'm loved," he said dryly. "You know I'm just looking out for you. Ever since the accident—"

"I know I know," Claire said, rubbing the small scar on her neck, "you feel obligated to fulfill the parental role—"

"_And_ I just want to make sure you're not overworking yourself. I know you don't take the time to make a lot of friends over there," he continued.

Claire blushed. "I'm not very good at keeping in touch with people. I have higher priorities, you could say," she said, looking at her textbooks.

"Well it's good to be driven, but not to be driven crazy," Hunter added. Claire was struck by how relevant his comment was to her previous thoughts.

"Some crazy isn't that bad," she said cryptically.

"Yeah, but not the school-related kind," Hunter finished. "It's just good to hear your voice. Call me this weekend, you hear? I want to make sure you aren't buried in a book avalanche at the library."

"Sure," she said, yawning. "Love you."

"Love you too," Hunter said before hanging up. Claire got up from the couch, stretching. She surreptitiously looked over at the window again.

_It's not school-related crazy,_ she thought determinedly, pulling back the curtain. She gasped, staring at the message on the window:

_You're welcome. Good Night. _

-((To Be Continued!))-

Yay! There's a little more for you, considerably more to review about. I seriously probably won't be able to do anymore until the weekend though.

But please let me know what you think!

~freaky-hanyou


	3. Curiosity Killed the Legendary Being

Hello everyone! I'm officially home, yay winter break! The grades are in (just waiting on a proficiency score that's freaking me out), I'm home at last, and I have to work in the morning, haha. But this is okay! We're doing good.

Thank you for those wonderful reviews! I see you people on the favorite and alert lists, thank you as well! I do appreciate you reading, but if you haven't figured it out already I am pretty much a review whore (lol) so if you want to galvanize a chapter out of me like _right away_ (case in point, chapter two) drop me a line! It makes my day.

If you're wondering, I do have an actual plot in line for the story that isn't fluff related, but we won't be seeing it for a while….fluff first, don't you know XD

**Of Soft Breezes and Wintry Nights**

_Chapter Three: Curiosity Killed The…Legendary Being?_

-((A few days after Jack's message))-

Claire awoke early to get ready for teaching observation. She leapt out of bed and all but flew to the window, throwing open the curtain for her morning message:

_Good Morning :p_

Claire smiled. It was the same message every morning, but the fact that he was there every morning to write it (the smile faces changed by the day) made her smile. She opened the window and reached her hand out to scribble in the frost below his message:

_Good Morning Yourself :)_

She smirked, satisfied with her reply, before she grabbed a towel and headed for the shower to get ready for the day.

-((flash forward))-

Claire could have skipped to her car she was in such a good mood. She usually wasn't very peppy in the morning, but lately she had been feeling particularly energized. She smiled wider when she noticed the frost covering all the cars.

"You've been busy, Frost," she said, grinning, "I wouldn't expect any less, as much as I hate it on my own-" she stopped, staring in surprise at her car. There was no frost on her back car window, and her front window had just enough so that it displayed these words:

_Have a Good Day!_

She smiled widely. "You spoil me, Jack," she said with a laugh. "But I'm not complaining!" she said as she opened her car door.

Far off in the trees, a wintry figure smiled down at her as she drove away, pleased that he could make her so happy.

-((Eee!))-

In those few days, Claire and Jack fell into a strange routine. Jack would write on her window in the morning, and Claire would reply. When Claire came home from school in the evening, she'd ask him a question on her window and he would reply before she was finished with dinner. She'd say good night, and the whole thing would cycle again. That evening, Claire returned from school to a _Welcome Home_ on her window. She smiled, already having figured out what to ask him today:

_Where did you get the name Jack Frost?_

She wondered about her question all through dinner. She was really curious about his name. _Did he just give it to himself? _She wondered. _Who decides these things? How did he become Jack Frost anyway? Is there an application for these things?_

She looked at her window after dinner to read Jack's message:

_The Man in the Moon told me. He doesn't talk to me very often, but whenever something is urgent, North will usually just call us all to the North Pole. Good Night! _

"Woah," Claire said softly, reading his answer twice. She slowly wrote '_good night'_ on the window. "Talk about a loaded answer, Jack," she complained, "Now I have so many more questions!"

As he flew away, Jack grinned. "I guess we'll have to talk more then," he said softly to himself.

He liked the sound of that.

-((the next morning))-

Jack wrote his new morning message on the window before settling down under the adjacent apartment window to wait for her to see it.

_I've been spending a lot of my day here lately,_ he mused. _It's not like it's a bad thing. There's still winter in other parts of the world and they get plenty of mischief while she's at class, _he grinned, _here is just getting a little more attention lately. There's nothing wrong with that. It's not like I'm causing winter upheaval or anything._

Having convinced himself he was at her window for no other reason, he became distracted as she opened the curtain. She scrawled her reply before returning to a different part of the house he couldn't see.

_I wonder what she does in there…_he wondered for the thousandth time. Unlike the first evening he saw her, she usually kept both her living room and bedroom curtain closed. He'd only ever seen her at the window or walking to her car. The more and more time he spent there, the more curious he became. His thoughts were derailed as she exited the house earlier than usual.

Startled and with no time to fly to the trees, he backed up so he was blocked by the edge of the apartment building.

-((Meanwhile))-

_I'm glad I took a shower last night, _Claire thought as she exited her apartment, _I would have never been able to get out of the house early otherwise. Stupid presentation preparation... _She steadied herself on her heels as she shut the door. She was giving a presentation in her education class after observation, and had to wear a skirt. She made a face to herself as she shut the door. _I really hate wearing heels all day._ She was distracted from her problems as she turned from the door to look at the still green grass outside.

"Jack!" she called out, "What is this? It's already early December, you could give us a little snow!" She shuddered at the breeze as she started to walk to her car. "This little bit of cold wind isn't very wintry!"

Jack frowned. _She says I'm not wintry enough? I'll show her wintry enough._ Without thinking, he sent a harsh gust of cold air in her direction. Claire was startled and teetered a bit on her heels, her skirt flying up to reveal blue snowflake panties before she hurriedly pulled it down again. She blushed ten shades of red as she looked around to make sure no one saw.

"If you did that, that was _so_ not funny," she muttered before walking to her car.

Jack was startled himself. He'd certainly never seen _that_ before._ I…probably shouldn't have done that,_ he thought, cheeks coloring slightly.

But he couldn't get the image out of his mind.

-((later))-

That night Claire approached her window with one question in mind. As tempted as she was to ask about the North Pole and who North was and the Man in the Moon, one new question held precedence:

_Did you blow my skirt up today?_

Jack watched her shut the curtain and flew up to her window, hesitating as he read the question.

_How am I supposed to answer this? _He thought, puzzled. _'Yes, but it was an accident, and by the way you have a wonderful looking—NO no no,_ he shook his head to rid himself of this strange line of thinking. He wrote out his puzzled answer, and waited by the neighbor's window to see her reaction.

-((later))-

Claire returned to her window after dinner, hoping there was a simple _No _and _Good Night! _response. She frowned as she saw a considerably longer reply:

_Yes, it was me. I'm very sorry, it was a definite accident and I seriously didn't mean to. You made fun of my wind and I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry. Good Night._

Claire thought for a moment. "I suppose I did ask for it, didn't I?" she said, looking out the window above the frosted part. She assumed he was out there _somewhere_ after all. "But you only get away with it this once!" She grinned and dared to wink out the window.

Jack smiled in relief, cheeks coloring again as he saw her wink. _This adventure is just getting better and better_, he thought as he flew away into the night.

-((the next day))-

Claire opened her curtains the next morning and burst into laughter:

_Good Morning! Snowflakes again?_

"Jack that's terrible," she said in mock disapproval. From his place near the window, he couldn't see the gleam in her eyes; for a second he genuinely thought she was mad until he saw her reach out and write on the window. As soon as she shut the curtain, he flew over, reading:

_Today's Candy Canes._

Pink dusted his cheeks as he flew over to the trees.

-((and the next day))-

Today was Saturday. _I love Saturday,_ Jack thought as he hovered around Claire's apartment, waiting for her to wake up. Saturday was when all the children around the world came outside to play; how could he not love it?

It seemed that Claire, however, loved to sleep in on Saturday. It was already noon and she hadn't opened the curtain yet. He was just about to give up when he saw her open it, stretching. He ducked out of sight just in time before she shut the curtain again to disappear inside.

_Hmm…_he wondered. _It's Saturday; what does she do on the weekend besides sleep?_ He checked her window for any clues, but she just replied with a 'morning.' He looked to her other window; it was also covered by the curtain.

He sighed and decided to come back during dinner time. As he turned to fly away, he noticed another window on the side of the apartment building that lined up with her apartment.

Immediately curious, he flew over to investigate. _How did I never notice this window before! It doesn't have a curtain,_ he thought happily, flying closer to peek in a corner. He looked inside, and there was Claire, pulling her shirt over her head to reveal-

"Woah!" he said, ducking back under the window, cheeks as red as they could possibly turn. He dared a glance back at the window, but she had disappeared into the shower.

_This is the bathroom,_ he realized all too late. _I shouldn't be here. _However, he couldn't get himself to move. He hovered there for a moment of indecision. "No," he said firmly without looking back at the window, _this is most decidedly wrong. _

He moved away from the window, proud of himself for bring a gentleman…sort of. However, he had lingered too long…

-((uh oh))-

Claire stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around her form. As she reached for a towel to dry her hair, she noticed the window was fogged. _That's weird,_ she thought, looking closer. _I had the fan on so the room wouldn't fog…wait a second. _She reached up to touch the window and noticed that there was frost on the other side. _Frost?_

_Jack?_

"Jack?"

Jack stopped mid-air, hearing her voice in his head. _You spied on me in the shower? And the other day you-oh, god…_Jack remained suspended in the air, powerless to defend himself as she continued, _You-I can't believe you did this! Here I thought we were some sort of weird kind of friends at least, and you—_he heard a noise of frustration. _I haven't even heard your voice yet._

_I trusted you…_

Jack closed his eyes; he wanted to fly into her bedroom right then and explain himself, that he didn't really do anything, it wasn't what it seemed. Words on a window weren't going to fix this one.

-((To Be Continued!))-

Yeah Jack is kinda an accidental pervert in this one. Woops ;) What do you think? Like it? Bored? Please let me know!

Also, I'm not sure how familiar everyone is with what I mean by observation. If you want to get a teaching license in America, in college you have to make time to go to a school to watch classes as well as take college classes. Just so that makes sense :)

~freaky-hanyou


	4. Dear Abby, Sort Of

Well hey hi hello there! So more reviews won't come unless I update, so here I am and I shall. I don't see this one as being long as the last chapter, but I didn't reeeeally plan this out with chapter splits, so we're just gonna roll with it ;p

Sidebar: I know it's Bunnymund, but in the movie his name is Bunny, and I'm basing this off the movieverse so don't be mad :)

**Of Soft Breezes and Wintry Nights**

_Chapter Three: Dear Abby…Sort Of_

_I can't believe I'm doing this,_ Jack thought to himself as he exited one of the tunnels that marked the entrance to The Warren. He walked into the mythical egg forest before stopping again in disbelief. _I really_ really_ can't believe I'm doing this._

He resumed onwards into The Warren; however, he did not make it very far before he was confronted with a familiar figure.

"And what are you doing here mate?" Bunny said as he stepped out from behind a tree, "Come to make a frontal assault before winter is even in full swing?"

Jack tried not to roll his eyes. _This isn't going to be easy._ He held up his hands in a placating gesture. "I'm not here for any mischief I promise." Bunny raised an eyebrow. "…I need your help," Jack said, sighing and sitting down on a rock.

"_My_ help?" Bunny said incredulously as he approached him, "Of all the people you could possibly come to for advice and you choose me?" Bunny suddenly straightened, stopping his approach. "It's not Pitch or anything is it? I swear—"

"It's not, it's not!" Jack said quickly. "Trust me, I'd rather have gone to North about this, but considering it's almost Christmas I figured…" He trailed off.

Bunny's eyes softened as he came over to sit next to Jack. The two might not be what you would call the best of friends, but things had changed once they fought Pitch together. "What's wrong?" Bunny asked quietly.

"Did you ever let anyone see you on purpose?" Bunny blinked, thrown off by the question.

"Well of course, mate; sometimes Easter is pretty hectic and the kids just-"

"Not kids," Jack said, cutting him off. "An adult. An adult that still believed in you so that if you were close enough she could probably see you," he elaborated. "Has that ever happened to you?"

Bunny paused, eyes widening slightly. He looked away, eyes seemingly no longer in the present time. "Yes," he whispered.

"Really?" Jack said, surprised that his case wasn't the first of its kind. "Someone older could see you?"

Bunny nodded, eyes still focused on a far off place. "Her name was Anne. She saw me hiding eggs in the tree branches for her son," he chuckled, remembering. "I nearly fell from the tree I was so surprised—"

"So you came back to see her?" Jack pressed. "Regularly?"

"Yeah, mate," he continued, "I would visit her every day, even at Easter time. We became really close friends," he said, smiling, "although her son was a bit of an annoying ankle-biter sometimes—"

Jack cut him off again, too excited to wait. "What happened?"

"She died," Bunny replied tersely; Jack's excitement went out like a candle flame. "I visited her for many years until old age finally took her and her son moved away."

_Old age…?_ Jack thought. He hadn't even considered that dilemma. He was an immortal guardian; she was a human that aged. He couldn't think about that dilemma yet; there were already enough problems to focus on.

"Why do you ask?" Bunny questioned when Jack remained silent for a while.

"…There's this girl," Jack started; Bunny grinned widely.

"I see where this is going mate," Bunny said with a smirk.

Jack let out a cry of protest. "It's not like that at all!" he exclaimed before looking away, "Or at least….I don't know…"

Bunny put a hand on Jack's shoulder, ignoring the cold for once. "Start from the beginning."

"…I could hear her," Jack explained, "Not many kids believe in me yet, so it was really easy to hear her voice. I grew curious, and went to see who she was. She was complaining about the frost I left on her car-"

Bunny let out a laugh at that. "Don't we all complain about your frost mate?"

Jack glared at him. "Anyway, I didn't want to just up and show myself to her, because I'm certain she'd see me, so we started talking to each other on her window."

"Her window?" Bunny raised an eyebrow.

"I'd cover her window in frost and leave her a message, and she would reply."

Bunny grinned. "Clever idea, mate. There's no harm in talking to her. What's the problem?"

"Well…" he said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. He told Bunny about the incident with the skirt as well as the incident with the shower window. Bunny eyed him knowingly, and Jack flushed as he finished, "So you see, such a serious misunderstanding can't very well be explained on a window pane…"

Bunny smiled. "Sounds like she'd probably try to throw a book at you through the window mate," he agreed with a laugh.

Jack glared at him. "You're not helping."

Bunny sobered up slightly. "Listen mate. Being a guardian is still a new thing for you; so I'll do the best I can with my advice here. It's not a good idea to go showing yourself to every other person that knows your name, but there won't be a problem with showing yourself to a girl you've been talking to already that you're obviously interested in meeting. She's interested in meeting you, I take it?"

"Well she was," Jack muttered gloomily.

"You just have to apologize to her," Bunny explained, "tell her that you didn't mean her any harm and that it was all a mistake; if she's worth it she'll forgive you for it." Bunny grinned again. "You going to tell her stories about us?" he couldn't help but ask.

"If she asks, sure," Jack said, "Why?"

"Just making sure that you tell her the important stuff," Bunny hedged.

"Like about you?" Jack said, nudging him with his shoulder.

"Pretty much mate," Bunny said, grinning. "Although I'm pretty sure I've heard her voice before, so she must believe in all of us."

"I wouldn't be surprised," Jack said. The two lapsed into a comfortable silence.

"Thanks Bunny," Jack said finally, looking over at him. Bunny smiled comfortingly.

"Anytime mate."

-((Meanwhile))-

Claire reread the same problem of her Spanish homework for the fifth time that evening. Jack didn't write on her window last night, nor did he leave her a morning message today. _I probably scared him off,_ she thought sadly staring down at her homework. Suddenly, her gaze sharpened. _Why does that make me sad? That frosty pervert deserves my scorn,_ she thought with a glare at the offending homework. _He's the one in the wrong, not me._

_**Ring!**_

She jumped slightly as she glanced over at her phone. "Why, if it isn't my favorite brother," she said, smiling into the phone.

Hunter ignored her sarcasm. "I thought you said you were going to call me this weekend."

Claire hesitated. "Technically it's Sunday night, so it's still the weekend…" she trailed off.

"But I called you Claire, so that doesn't work either."

Claire ignored his "stern parent" voice. "I'm sorry Hunter, I've been….distracted lately," she hedged.

"Lately?" Hunter said with a snort, "I would say 'distracted' is your default setting; what with all of the schoolwork—"

"Not schoolwork," she admitted before hesitating again. "…I met a guy."

Hunter instantly became serious again. "A guy? Where?"

"At school," Claire responded. "We were getting along really nicely, but then he…" she trailed off slightly, unsure of how to explain.

"He what," Hunter pressed, "What did he do?" She could practically hear him getting up and preparing to drive to her college if he had to.

"Nothing major!" Claire said, rushing to placate him. "He just made a pass at me and I shut him down," she improvised. "No harm done, it just hurt my feelings; I didn't think he was one of those guys," she said sadly.

"I'm sorry to say little sis, but a vast majority of us are 'one of those guys,'" Hunter clarified, "But I'm glad you gave him the shut down. No sister of mine gets the moves put on her by a-"

"Hunter, it wasn't like that," she said, cutting him off. "He's still a nice guy; he just…isn't who I thought he was." _Why am I defending him?_

"And that's how he will remain," Hunter said with finality. "I'm proud of you Claire. Don't let that bastard upset you. He's not worth your time."

"…You're right," Claire said, supported by Hunter's encouragement. "Thanks, Hunter. Maybe now I'll actually get to focus on my homework."

Hunter laughed. "Far be it from me to keep you from something so exciting." He paused, serious again. "Don't hesitate to call me if you need something okay?"

Claire smiled. "I won't. Love you."

"I love you too," Hunter said before hanging up.

Claire sighed before setting her focus back on her homework.

-((To Be Continued!))-

Well. That was longer than I thought it was going to be. Let me know what you think!

~freaky-hanyou


	5. I'll Always Catch You

So I wanted to update this yesterday, but I kinda almost fell asleep on the couch. Wooops! However, I really should have because today my internet decided to explode, so if you are reading this I have successfully performed a technology shuffle and used my phone to get this to you lovely readers, yay!

Now, Claire and Jack don't really know each other _too_ well yet, but Christmas is coming for real and in the story too, so there's gotta be at least a _little_ fluff (It's like holiday law, haha)

**Of Soft Breezes and Wintry Nights**

_Chapter Five: I'll Always Catch You_

By the time Jack returned from The Warren, it was well after dark where Claire lived. Looking up at the night sky as if it offended him, he blew the hair out of his eyes in frustration.

_Guess I'm just going to have to wait a bit, _he thought as he looked around at the still-green grass in front of Claire's apartment. _Hmm. Might as well do something to pass the time,_ he decided with a particularly mischievous grin. Soaring up into the air, Jack set to his wintry work, ensuring that the snow would fall steadily before he iced up a few streets.

A few hours later, the sleepy college town was covered in a beautiful blanket of white snow. Icicles hung from the tree branches and flurries scattered in the wind. Jack landed in front of Claire's apartment, proud of his work. Unfortunately, the sun hadn't even started to rise yet, and Jack's work was done.

_Dammit,_ he thought as he began to pace, _that didn't take as long as I thought…_ He could always go work his wintry magic elsewhere and return in the morning, but Jack was too anxious to do so. He decided to wait right in front of Claire's apartment for her to wake up. He sat down near her front door and began his vigil.

-((that morning))-

Claire crawled out of her bed the next morning and stared at her window in indecision. _Did he…?_ She thought, taking a step towards the window, _…No,_ she decided after a moment, turning around to head for the bathroom,_ I don't care if he did. I don't want to hear his silly window messages._

Claire took a shower, grabbed a quick breakfast, and dressed before heading downstairs to head for her car. _Frosty bastard probably frosted every inch of my car,_ she thought bitterly.

She gasped as she opened her door, awestruck by the winter wonderland that had appeared overnight. She was so distracted that she failed to notice the white-haired boy that panicked and flew off to the corner of her apartment building.

"Oh Jack…" She whispered, admiring the snow. Snapping herself out of her daze, she stepped out of her apartment-

and promptly slipped on an icy patch that formed where Jack had been sitting for the greater part of the night. Her bookbag and purse flew in the air as she struggled to reach her fall—

before a very _cold_ someone with white hair, a frosty jacket, and bright blue eyes caught her inches before she hit the pavement.

He didn't even let her speak. "I'm so sorry!" he said in a rush, eyes filled with concern, "I was really nervous so I sat there all night and I didn't realize the ice—I was so nervous I just couldn't be sitting outside your _door _when you walked out-you aren't hurt are you?" he asked, pausing for a split second before remembering the reason he revealed himself to her. "Listen. I am really, _really_ sorry about yesterday, I didn't mean to peek on you I swear I didn't; I just never realized there was a window without a curtain for your apartment and I wanted to know more about you-I only saw you for like two seconds I swear, I didn't mean to—are you alright?" Jack said, finally stopping his tirade.

Claire blinked once, still being held an inch from the pavement by Jack Frost. She blinked again, and when he didn't resume speaking she finally whispered, "Jack…Frost?" she said slowly. Jack nodded, mentally preparing himself for some kind of verbal blow. Claire let out a small giggle. Said giggle grew into another giggle, and soon she was laughing. Jack stood her up, confused, and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as he waited for her to finish.

"Is something…wrong?" he asked once she calmed down.

She hadn't taken her eyes off him since he caught her. "Jack Frost. _You,_ Jack Frost, _the_ mythical legend of all things winter, are _apologizing_ to me for causing me to fall _and_ peeping on me in the shower? This is so surreal!" She exclaimed, reaching out to touch his cheeks. "And you're so _cold!_" she said, touching his shoulders and admiring his staff. "I can't believe that I can really see you; you're really here!"

He broke eye contact as he looked down, still nervous. "So am I…forgiven?" he asked tentatively.

The hands that were resting on his shoulders gave a small squeeze before pulling away. "I guess…" she said seriously, "on one condition."

"Name it," Jack said immediately.

Claire thought for a moment. "Well, two conditions actually. One, _never_ do that again. Two….be my friend?" she said with a small smile.

"Done and done," Jack said with a grin before picking up her discarded bags. "I would love to; it'll be much easier to talk without writing everything down on a window sill."

Claire laughed as the two walked towards her car. Claire smiled knowingly as she noticed her car had not a speck of snow or frost on it. She raised an eyebrow, and Jack looked away, blushing slightly.

"I had to get back into your good graces somehow," he said. Her smile grew.

"Will you be here when I get back from school?" she asked, opening her car door.

"Definitely," he said enthusiastically.

"How will I find you?" she asked.

"Don't worry," he said as he jumped up, floating above the ground slightly, "I'll find you," he winked as she watched him fly away in awe.

He watched her drive off from the trees, grinning from ear to ear. _Now,_ he thought, _the real adventure begins._

-((that evening))-

Claire slammed the door of her car as she returned from a long day of class work. However, instead of her usual bone-weary tiredness, she was filled with excitement and exhilaration at the prospect of seeing Jack Frost again. _Not just seeing Jack Frost, _she reminded herself with a smile, _becoming _friends_ with him! Seeing him all the time, like a friend! How exciting._

"Friends with Jack Frost," she murmured to herself in disbelief, walking to her apartment door.

"It's not that hard to believe is it?" Claire jumped and turned around to find Jack Frost himself behind her.

"I would say this is pretty amazing, Jack Frost," she said. Jack smiled.

"You can call me Jack you know; I'm not some famous person that you aren't acquainted with," he grinned at her.

"It's like I'm meeting a famous person," she commented, opening her door. "My apartment is really warm, and it's not that cold out here; would you like to go for a walk?" Claire asked. Jack nodded. "Awesome!" Claire said, shutting the apartment door again.

"It's pretty late," she continued as the two set off down the block, "so I don't think anyone else will be outside…can anyone else see you?" Claire asked curiously.

"I doubt it," Jack said, walking along beside her. "The only people who can see me are those who believe in me, which are usually children. Even then, not many kids believe in me yet, so although that number is steadily growing, we should be safe at this time of night."

"So I'm the only person you've talked to that isn't a kid?" she asked.

Jack nodded again. "I've only talked to you, some kids, and the guardians," he replied.

"What's a guardian?" Claire asked.

"Me," Jack replied, "As well as The Easter Bunny, The Tooth Fairy, the Sandman, and Santa Claus. We protect the children around the world from those that wish to harm them," he explained.

"Wow," Claire said softly. "So you travel around the world…how did you even _find_ me?" she asked.

"Well," Jack said sheepishly, "I can sort of…hear when people talk about me," he said; Claire raised an eyebrow. "It's a part of being a guardian. When you mention my name, I can hear it and I know where you are. So when you starting cursing me for the frost on your car," he said with a quirk of his lips, "I came to see who you were."

"So….if I ever mention your name—"

"I'll hear you, no matter where I am," Jack finished.

Claire whistled softly. "You've got some amazing powers," she said.

"They're not that special," Jack replied.

"Well, to us humans they're pretty damn special," Claire said with a laugh.

Jack chuckled. "Tell me about you; I know you go to class. What do you do there? Do you like it? Do you have a family? Friends?"

"So many questions!" Claire said, trying to remember them all. "Let's see…I want to become a Spanish teacher, so at school I take a lot of Spanish and Education classes. They're really boring, but I also go to observe a Spanish class at a high school, which is really fun!" She exclaimed with a grin. "The students are really nice to me. I had a family, but my parents and I got into a very bad car accident a few years ago…"

"I'm sorry," Jack immediately responded, wishing he hadn't asked.

"Don't worry about it," Claire said with a wave of her hand, "I still have my big brother who acts parental enough in their place. I've lost contact with most of my friends," she said sheepishly, "I've been really engrossed in my schoolwork…"

"Sounds like you could use some fun," Jack decided, "And I know all about fun."

Claire smiled. The two rounded a corner, and her apartment came into view. "Well, I do get out of class early tomorrow…"

"I'll meet you then!" Jack said as he walked her to her door.

"Sounds like…fun!" Claire said, giggling.

-((The next day after class))-

Claire stood outside her apartment door waiting for Jack. _I must look like an idiot,_ she thought, watching the people walk by. "Hurry up Jack," she murmured.

As if on cue, said winter spirit flew down from above her apartment looking apologetic. "Sorry I'm a bit late," he said ruefully, "North wanted to talk to me."

"North?" Claire asked.

"Santa Claus," Jack supplied, "He wanted to make sure I wasn't planning any crazy blizzards for Christmas."

Claire raised an eyebrow. "_Are_ you planning any crazy blizzards for Christmas?"

Jack grinned devilishly. "Maybe," he said, changing the subject. "So I decided that we should go sledding today."

"Sledding?" Claire exclaimed, surprised. "I haven't gone sledding in…well, I don't remember how long!"

"Exactly," Jack said, smirking, "And your apartment has the perfect sled behind it! What opportunity!"

Claire looked nervous at Jack's excitement. "I don't know…"

"Oh come on, have a sense of adventure! Grab a trash bag and let's go!"

-((one trash bag later))-

Claire looked down the small hill behind her apartment. With the way Jack had iced it over and added curves, dips, and hills, it could have been an ice chute.

Jack smiled, excitement glinting in his bright blue eyes as he stared into her green ones. "Ready?"

She tentatively sat down on her trash-bag-gone-sled. "…Are you sure this is safe?" Claire asked.

"Trust me on this one," Jack said before giving her a push down the hill.

Claire shrieked as she sped down the hill of ice, banking off of sharp turns and crazy angles before shooting off of a ramp and high into the air. Her trash bag went flying, and she flailed, panicking as she sped towards the unforgiving snow-

Jack caught her seconds before impact, setting her feet gently down onto the snow. She gripped his shoulders tightly, shaking a bit.

"Maaaaybe that hill is a little too steep," Jack allowed. Claire smacked him.

"You have this great knack for making me fall," she said, letting go of him.

Jack grinned. "I don't see what the problem is; I'll always be there to catch you," he said seriously. Claire blushed.

"…Let's go again!" she said, racing him up the hill.

-((later))-

Claire lay in the snow next to Jack, panting from exhilaration and exhaustion. She lazily made a snow angel, watching the flurries fall from the darkening sky.

"Did you have fun?" Jack asked, watching her as he lay on his side next to her.

"I did," she said, smiling up at him. The two stared at each other for a long moment before Claire blushed and looked away. "Thank you."

"No problem," he said, "I know all about fun in the wintertime. Are you free tomorrow?" he asked.

"Actually, I have to go to my brother's house tomorrow," she said, "with the holidays arriving so soon I'm going there to celebrate."

"I can just meet you there then," Jack supplied, not seeing a problem.

"I don't know, Jack," Claire replied, "my brother is really suspicious about things, and if I start sneaking off he'll ask questions," she explained.

Jack couldn't stave off his sense of disappointment. "Well, I'll definitely see you when you return," he said, standing and reaching out a hand to help her out of the snow. "Come on, you have to go inside before you catch a cold," he said as he helped her up.

Claire muttered a thank you as she allowed him to pull her to her feet. The two walked to her door in a companionable silence. They stood awkwardly in front of her door for a moment, before Claire wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a tight hug. "I had a lot of fun with you, Jack," she said softly.

Jack smiled, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I had a lot of fun too," he replied as she pulled away. "A lot more fun than could be had on a window, anyway."

She laughed. "I'll see you after New Year," she said, opening the door to her apartment.

"See you then," Jack said as she walked inside and shut the door.

Although it was only a few short weeks away, New Year never seemed farther off. Jack flew off into the trees, unable to stave off his sense of melancholy.

_Claire…_he thought, staring at her closed windows. _You're more of an adventure than I thought._

-((Christmas Eve))-

"Just a second, Hunter!" Claire called down to her brother as she ran up the stairs, "I just need to get something from my room!" She entered her temporary bedroom for the rest of Christmas break, intending to grab a few presents from her bag. As she reached down, her eyes caught on the window. She gasped, moving closer to it.

_Merry Christmas Claire :)_

Claire opened the window, looking for Jack. He was nowhere to be seen, but on the windowsill she found an intricately carved snowflake about the size of her palm. The ice sculpture glinted prisms of color when she held it up to the light. She placed it back on the windowsill before shutting the window so it would not melt.

"Merry Christmas, Jack," she said, smiling.

"Claire!" a voice echoed from downstairs.

"Coming!"

-((To Be Continued!))-

These are never as short as I think they'll be. I'm going to hypothesize that the actual plot will be showing up two chapters from now ;p

Please leave a review and make my Christmas. :)

Merry Christmas, Happy belated Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, and whatever else you may celebrate!

~freaky-hanyou


	6. The Ever Elusive Snow Day

Happy New Year Everyone! Sorry it's been a while, but the holidays are…the holidays, so here's one! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!

It makes me happy each and every time I see a follow or a favorite, and thank you _AliceofDeath_ for leaving me a review! I greatly appreciate it : )

Let's continue, shall we?

**Of Soft Breezes and Wintry Nights**

_Chapter Six: The Ever Elusive Snow Day_

New Years came and went, and soon Claire returned to her apartment to begin her next semester of college. Classes were just as difficult, and she spent many hours studying at home or in the library at school. However, this semester she had a wintry friend to keep her company. Jack and Claire spent more and more time together as the semester continued. Jack would keep her company in the library as she studied (next to an open window, much to the chagrin of other students), and afterwards the two would take a long walk around the block. On weekends, Jack would encourage her to get out of her apartment and play in the snow, no matter the strange looks she received from the neighbors. The weeks went on, and the two grew closer and closer, never speaking of the strange tension and excitement the two felt when they were together.

One evening in January, Jack watched the snow fall from the sky as Claire studied for a Spanish test in the library. He turned back to her, smiling as she absentmindedly tucked her brown hair behind her ear.

He sighed, laying his head down on his arms on the desk. "Claire," he asked, and she looked up. "Do you ever get snow days?"

Claire snorted in laughter before looking back down at her notes. "I wish," she said, "but in college it's a lot harder to get a snow day."

"Why?" Jack asked, confused, "The snow falls the same way no matter what age you are," he said, looking out the window again, "And wouldn't they want to give you _more_ snow days in college? You have to walk outside in the snow, and smaller children don't," he pointed out.

"Tell me about it," Claire said, looking up again. At this point she realized that some of the students were staring at her as she seemingly talked to herself, so she lowered her voice to a whisper. "The problem with college is," she whispered, "they feel like you miss so much work when they call off a day. Especially at this school; we haven't had a snow day in forty years. Rumor is when they gave the students a day off, someone _complained_ and now they won't give us one," she made a face as if to say who-in-their-right-mind-would-do-that. "It'll take more than snow to give us a snow day," she muttered, turning back to her work so others would stop staring at her.

Jack absorbed her story in silence, thinking. Suddenly, he stood from the table. Claire looked up at him, eyebrow raised.

"I'll be back later," he said; with a wink and a flurry of papers, he was out the door before she could say any more.

Claire shook her head, smiling as she looked back down at her notes.

-((a few hours later))-

Claire shut her notebook with a satisfying snap. _I feel like my eyes are going to fall out of their sockets,_ she complained to herself as she stacked her books. _Besides, it's getting really late. _At that moment, a professor opened the door to the studying room, looking at the few students who still gathered there.

"You guys better get out of here," she said, "it's starting to get dangerous out there," she said before leaving the room.

_Dangerous?_ Claire thought, looking out the window for the first time in a few hours. _It doesn't look like it's snowing that hard…but why is the ground…_shiny? Confused but unable to see out into the darkness, she threw her books into her bookbag before leaving the study room. She stepped out of the building onto the top of the stairs leading outside and gasped.

It was true that it really wasn't snowing; however, in that few hours she had been in the study room everything, _everything_ had become covered in ice. She looked closely at what she thought was snow, and realized that it was freezing rain that had effectively covered the snow, roads, and sidewalks with ice.

As she stood there gaping, Jack flew over to her, landing next to her on the top of the stairs. He grinned with pride. "What do you think? Do you think this will get you a snow day?"

She continued to stare out at the campus before her in awe. "If it doesn't, I don't know what would," she said, distracted. "Oh, Jack this is…" she paused, searching for an appropriate word.

"I know," he said, his blue eyes glinting with excitement and wonder. "I figured, if snow wouldn't give you a snow day, they'd have to give you one for _ice!"_

"But Jack, how will I get home?" she realized, suddenly concerned. "I don't think I'll be able to walk down these stairs, let alone _drive_—"

"Who said you had to drive?" Jack said, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. She looked at him blankly. "Or walk?"

Her eyes widened, finally catching his meaning. "Oh Jack, you don't mean to—" he cut her off, scooping her up into his arms and soaring high into the air, above the buildings and into the clouds.

"I mean to," he whispered into her ear, grinning. Claire wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tightly as they whizzed through the air.

"Jack-" she started, afraid. Jack shushed her, tightening his arms around her.

"Shh, don't be afraid," he said soothingly. "Trust the wind. And me. You won't fall." He looked down, and noticed her eyes were closed. "Open your eyes," he said gently.

Claire slowly opened her eyes and smiled, gazing down at the clouds and the lights of the buildings. She laughed, enjoying feeling the wind on her face and in her hair.

"Not so bad, right?" Jack said, smiling. Claire's grin widened, and the two soared through the air towards her house. Jack flew higher and gripped her tightly, spinning and making loops in the air, causing her to shriek and laugh with delight.

"Having fun?" Jack said with a spark of mischief in his eye.

Claire nodded before looking at him warily. "I know that glint in your eye; what are you up _to-!_" she ended on a scream as Jack let go of her, and she fell through the sky, plummeting towards the ground.

Claire fell for a few seconds, panicking and screaming; Jack appeared beside her, falling next to her for a few seconds before pulling her into his arms again, stopping them before they broke through the clouds.

Claire smacked him on the chest as the two gained altitude again. "_Jack!_ That was not funny; that was frightening!"

"Admit you would've had fun if you let yourself," Jack said, rising higher, "I told you I'd always catch you, didn't I?" he said seriously. Once they were at the height they were before, he looked deep into her emerald eyes. "Ready to try it again?"

Claire hesitated before nodding. Jack let go, and Claire fell through the sky, falling towards the clouds below them. Her initial sense of panic surged, but she closed her eyes and breathed deeply. _He'll catch me,_ she thought, and spread her arms wide, feeling the wind racing against her face. She smiled, pretending that she was soaring through the air herself. All too soon, she felt Jack's familiar arms come underneath her. She opened her eyes and settled her arms around his neck, smiling.

"You should've warned me like that the first time," she murmured against his neck.

Jack grinned, looking down at the side of her face. "I will warn you next time I drop you from the sky," he said with a smirk. She mockingly glared up at him.

A while later Jack flew them to the front of Claire's seemingly abandoned apartment complex, setting her on her feet in front of her door.

"It's so quiet," Claire commented, looking around at the icy surroundings.

"Everyone's inside staying away from the bitter cold brought on by yours truly," Jack said, not looking the least bit repentant.

Claire moved to reply but was interrupted by the chime of her cell phone. She pulled it out of her pocket and looked at her text messages. "It's from the automatic messaging system of my college," she said in disbelief, "We have a snow day tomorrow!" she exclaimed, stuffing her phone in her pocket and throwing her arms around Jack. "Thank you Jack! Thank you!"

Claire pulled away before Jack could react, too excited to stay in place. She bounced lightly up and down, barely able to hold herself still. Jack smiled warmly, watching the excitement dance in her eyes as she rejoiced.

"Oh this is so exciting; I can't thank you enough Jack! I mean, this is really-" she was cut off as Jack impulsively covered her lips with his.

Claire started as she found Jack's lips on her own. For a split second she thought to protest but quickly decided she didn't want to; she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. She ignored the chill she felt as Jack wrapped his arms tightly around her. He paused and pulled away briefly, unsure of her reaction. She released a breath of cold air and smiled up at him. He grinned before he moved to kiss her again, this time pulling her flush against him. Claire fisted a hand into his soft white locks as his mouth moved against her, running his tongue against her lower lip. Claire made a noise of contentment as she moved her other hand against his back; inadvertently brushing frost off of his jacket. Jack, overwhelmed, lowered his hands to her hips briefly before pulling away, panting.

"Well." Claire said, smiling. "That's one way to celebrate."

Jack smiled, laughing. However, his expression quickly became serious. "Is this okay?"

Claire smiled at his thoughtfulness. "It'd be difficult going out with a mythical legend," she said, and his face fell. Her eyes were glinting with mirth as she took his hands in her own. "But it'll be worth it to go out with you." He smiled, learning in to kiss her again. "Do you want to come inside?" she said hesitantly. "I know it's a bit on the warm side, but I'll open the window and—" he cut her off, kissing her again.

"I don't mind," he said with a smile.

The two went inside the apartment, shutting the door behind them. They went up the stairs, and Claire led him to her living room and the couch. She took off her coat before she knelt on the cushion and leaned over it to open the curtains and windows, letting a burst of cold air inside.

"Is that better?" she said, turning to Jack who was seated next to her, smiling softly.

"You won't get cold?" he asked as she knelt on the couch cushion next to him.

"If I do, I'll put on a sweater," she said, scooting closer to him, clearly nervous. "I haven't done this in a _very_ long time, and that was only once," she said shyly, tucking her hair behind her ear.

Jack grinned, trying to ease her nervousness. "Well I've never done this before, how do you think I feel?" he asked, tentatively turning towards her and opening his arms. She came closer, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She shivered, only partly from the cold.

"Much like me I imagine," she whispered, moving closer to his face.

"I suppose we'll just figure it out together," he said, bringing a hand to her face. "I'm not too cold?" he asked, breathing a chill air on her lips.

"I'll deal with it," she said, before sealing her lips over his. This time, she tried to be a little more forceful with her kiss, and she immediately tucked his fingers in his hair, laying a hand on his chest. Jack made a noise of surprise against her lips and tried to keep up, moving his mouth with hers. She pushed him backwards, encouraging him to lay back as she lay atop him on the couch. He let his hands rest on her waist, focusing on her lips. She pulled away briefly to catch her breath.

"I can't believe I've never done this before," he said, smiling.

She gave him a look. "I'll take that as a compliment instead of you wishing for other women," she said with a wink. Before he could backtrack his words, her lips returned to his, slowly moving together. Claire slowly moved her hand on his chest, and he groaned softly against her lips. She removed her hand from his hair and took one of his hands from her waist, bringing it lower.

"You can move your hands, you know," she whispered against his lips, smiling.

"…Where?" he asked innocently. Claire chuckled.

"Be creative," she said, before returning her lips to his again. This time, Jack decided to explore, despite the distraction of her hands drawing patterns over his jacket. He slowly ran one hand up and down her back, while the other rested on her hip. She made a noise of appreciation, so he decided to continue, bringing his hand lower to her bottom. She squealed in surprise, and her hips bucked forward in reflex; Jack groaned in surprise as he felt hers hips move against his. They broke apart, panting.

"That was…" Jack struggled for words, having never had these feelings for another person before.

"Yeah," Claire said, pulling back to sit next to him. "Why don't we take a break? Let me go put on a sweater, and we can watch a movie or something?"

"Sounds good," he said with a grin.

-((outside))-

Outside in the shadows of the trees, a mysterious figure watched the two in the living room, curled up in front of the television. He chuckled darkly, stroking the mane of a horse made of entirely black sand.

"This is all too easy," the figure chuckled before disappearing into the darkness.

-((To be continued!))-

Oh no! The plot appears! I do hope you liked this chapter, we finally got some action and plot action, lol.

Let me know what you think!

~freaky-hanyou


	7. Things That Go Bump in the Night

Hi guys! I'll make this quick so we can get rockin! Thank you ParrotCrazy, MoonlitMeeting, and Luna Frost so much for reviewing! Also to everyone who put me on their follow list; I really appreciate it! I also changed a line or two in the last chapter, but it wasn't _majorly_ significant so there's no need to go check unless you want to :p

Oh Look! A wild plot appears! Yay!

**Of Soft Breezes and Wintry Nights**

_Chapter Seven: Things That Go Bump in the Night_

"_You can't save him little girl."_

The terrible voice continued to echo around her as Claire stood in a grey fog, surrounded by darkness. Ahead she could vaguely make out Jack, reaching out to her for help. Claire tried to run to him, but it was as if she was running through water. She could not get closer to him no matter how hard she tried.

All of a sudden, a dark shadow appeared in front of her and blocked her view of Jack's form. It chuckled at her.

"_After all, dear girl, he's from a world where nightmares are _real-!" As if on cue, as the shadow finished speaking it seemed to fly through Claire, enshrouding her in cold and darkness.

_!_

Claire gasped as she abruptly sat up in bed, breathing hard. _What a nightmare,_ she thought as she held her forehead with her hand, trying to regain her senses. She tentatively peeked over the edge of her bed. Seeing that all was normal in her bedroom and there was nothing to be afraid of, she pulled off her covers to enjoy her snow day.

_After all,_ she thought with a smirk, _I have nothing to be afraid of now that Jack's with me—_as if on cue, she heard a knock on her window. Not even bothering to look in a mirror, she walked over to the window and threw open the curtain to reveal a certain wintry guardian smiling in greeting.

She smiled, "Let me—wait," she thought as she took one step toward the door, "Why would you need the door when you can _fly_?" she said to herself as she reached out to open the window. She popped out the screen and placed it next to her window sill.

"It's so cold there's no bugs that will get in," she justified as Jack flew inside.

"Just me," Jack said with a grin.

"You're hardly a bug," Claire replied, belatedly realizing she had been awake for .5 seconds before letting him into her room. "Hold on, let me at least brush my hair—" Claire was cut off as Jack abruptly pulled herself to him and kissed her.

"Doesn't matter to me," he said with a wink, "although you might want to think about your sleeping schedule. It's already noon," he pointed out as he rested his hands lightly on her waist.

Claire smacked him gently on the shoulder. "Let me enjoy my snow day how I wish," she said as she pulled away from him. "But I really do at least want to brush my teeth," she continued, distractedly looking for her hairbrush. "I've only been awake for a few minutes, and first with the nightmare and now you're already-"

He cut her off, good mood forgotten. "Nightmare?" he asked, concerned. "You had a nightmare?" he asked again, stopping her search for the hairbrush by gripping her shoulders. "What happened?" he asked seriously.

"Jack," she said, laughing his name incredulously, "it's nothing to be concerned about. It was just a nightmare," she tried to brush his hands off, but he would not be moved.

"What happened," he repeated solemnly. Claire sighed.

"I really can't remember all of it," she thought as she looked down at the floor, trying to remember. "I remember being surrounded by grey fog, and that I couldn't get to you…" she trailed off.

"Was there anyone else?" Jack pressed.

"I don't…think so," Claire said slowly. Jack's tense shoulders sagged with relief. "I do remember there was a sinister voice, though," she said as an afterthought. Jack's tension returned.

"Claire," Jack started, reaching a hand out to tilt Claire's chin so she would meet his eyes, "you may make fun of me, but a nightmare is nothing to scoff at. It could mean something very serious," he said, trying to impose upon her the gravity of the situation.

Claire chuckled. "Don't worry Frost," she said, "I'm a big girl, and I've had nightmares before. Don't worry about it, and let's enjoy my snow day," she said with a wink. "Now let me at least change out of my pajamas," she said before pushing him into the living room.

No matter what she said, Jack feared he wouldn't be able to get it out of his mind.

-((Claire gets decent))-

Jack lay back on Claire's bed, lost in thought as the girl brushed her hastily-eaten breakfast out of her teeth. _A nightmare…_ he mused, very concerned. _Could Pitch have regained his strength? Could he be out for revenge?_ The more and more Jack thought about it, the more worried he became.

_I can't risk her safety without talking to the Guardians,_ Jack thought, sitting up as Claire entered the room. "Claire," he began, "about this nightmare; I think that-"

"Oh shut up about the nightmare already," she said, silencing him with a kiss as she crawled onto her bed. "It's my snow day, and I want to enjoy it," she continued as she peppered little kisses against his lips.

"But-" Jack tried to continue, put Claire pushed against his chest, flattening him to the bed as she lay next to him.

"Shut up Frost, and show me why they're always singing about you nipping noses," she said with a wink before shutting him up with a kiss again. Thoughts of the nightmare finally flew from Jack's mind as Claire's hands wandered up his chest to grip his shoulders. His hands automatically found her hips as he deepened the kiss, rolling over so he leaned over her on the bed.

"Jack…" she whispered against his lips as Jack decided to kick things up a notch. He stealthily moved one hand from her hips to rest under her sweater on her stomach. Claire squealed into his kiss from his cold hand, and Jack used the opportunity to touch his tongue briefly to hers. Claire moaned in satisfaction as the two battled for dominance in the kiss. They pulled apart for air, panting.

"I think we're getting better at this," Claire whispered as she caught her breath.

Jack smiled as he kissed her nose. "I do hold the record for being on the naughty list," he said before covering her lips with his own.

-((Trying to keep this T folks))-

Soon after the two took a break for Claire to warm up and Jack to cool down (one couldn't be around for 300 years and not know _that_ little about your body). While waiting for Claire to return from making hot chocolate in the kitchen, Jack's earlier thoughts of the nightmare returned. Seeing his expression, Claire frowned as she sat next to Jack on her bed.

"Why are you so concerned about a nightmare?" Claire asked, sipping her drink.

"Have you ever heard of the Boogeyman?" Jack asked. Claire snorted, nearly spilling her hot chocolate.

"Of course I have. But _him_ I don't believe in," she said with finality. When Jack's expression didn't change, her resolve wavered. "Should I?" she said hesitantly.

"Yes," Jack said softly, trying not to worry her. "His name is Pitch Black. We've defeated him before, but that doesn't mean he poses no danger." He looked over at her and noticed her frown. "I'll go talk to North to see if there is anything to worry about," he said, standing.

Claire nodded. "Hurry back?" she asked.

Jack grinned as he opened her window. "Of course."

-((To the North Pole))-

Jack flew into the control area of the North Pole, landing in front of the globe. He was surprised to see North there consulting with Bunny.

"What are you doing here?" Jack asked Bunny.

"There's nothing wrong with me visiting because _I_ have never been on the naughty list," Bunny said pointedly, "What are _you_ doing here?" Bunny asked with a smirk.

Jack rolled his eyes. "I'm worried that Pitch might be making a comeback," Jack said, which got both of the guardians' attention.

"What?" North boomed, incredulous, "What makes you say this?"

"I…" Jack hesitated, "better start from the beginning," he said. He explained to North what he already told Bunny about Claire, only hinting at the newfound _closeness_ of their relationship. Bunny narrowed his eyes as Jack became very vague about his relationship with Claire.

"Anyway," he continued before Bunny could ask questions, "today she told me that she had a nightmare last night, and that she heard a voice that may have been Pitch," he said, finally voicing his true concern. "Could he harm her as revenge on me?"

"This is nonsense," North said forcefully, "Pitch was defeated; there is no way that he could be so powerful already!" He put his hands on both of Jack's shoulders. "I bet it is coincidence," he said with a wink, "Do not worry!"

As Jack turned to go, he could not shake this sense of foreboding. North became distracted by a question from the yetis, and Jack locked eyes with Bunny.

"Did this ever happen with Anne?" he questioned.

Bunny shook his head. "At that time, Pitch hadn't been seen since the dark ages," he replied grimly. "Keep an eye on her mate," Bunny said, putting a hand on Jack's shoulder.

Jack's gaze hardened. "I will," he said with determination before taking off into the cold weather.

-((oh boy))-

As the days went on, Claire found herself getting less and less sleep. Loathe as she was to admit it to Jack, she kept having more nightmares. She dodged his questions about why she looked so tired, and has she been sleeping alright? Claire finally couldn't take it anymore after three solid nights of nightmares.

"They're getting worse," Claire blurted out as the two walked around the block after school that night with an arm around each other.

"What is? The nightmares?" Jack asked, tightening his arm around her shoulders.

"Yes," she admitted, "ever since that first one they keep getting worse. You keep disappearing, and the fog keeps turning into these creatures-" she broke off, distressed. "I keep hearing his voice inside my head," she whispered painfully as the two approached her apartment.

"This is too much," Jack said forcefully as the two stopped at her door. "I'll go to North, and he'll summon the rest of the guardians so we can—"

Claire cut him off. "Could you wait until tomorrow morning? I was kind of hoping you would stay with me tonight…" she trailed off.

"I could," Jack allowed, "but won't you be too cold?" Jack asked as Claire opened the door and they climbed up the stairs.

"I don't care; I'll figure it out," she said distractedly, "I just really don't want to be alone," she said softly.

Jack's heart lurched and he abruptly pulled her into his arms. "I'll protect you," he said fiercely, and Claire finally broke down in tears.

-((aw))-

A while later, Claire lay underneath three blankets and flannel pajamas that Jack lumpily held in his embrace. He lay awake, watching Claire's fretful sleeping, debating whether or not he should wake her. He watched the shadows in the bedroom warily before kissing Claire's forehead.

_Please be safe,_ he thought, holding her closer.

-((Meanwhile))-

"_Enough!"_ Claire screamed in her dream, surrounded by shadowy creatures and pummeled by images of Jack, Hunter and his family dying—_"Who are you?" _she shouted into the darkness of her nightmare. _"I know you're there; what do you want?!"_

This time, a pale figure wearing a long black jacket stepped out of the shadows, grinning from ear to ear. She froze in place, and he ran his finger down the side of her cheek.

"_You'll see…"_ he whispered in her ear. She shuddered.

"_Humans are so easy to kill."_

And then she was falling, falling—

Claire jolted awake, a scream on her lips. In an instant, Jack tightened his arms around her, pulling her gaze to his. "What is it; what happened?" he pressed, pulling her closer.

Claire took steady breaths. "I saw him."

Jack's azure gaze hardened to frosty steel. "I'll tell the guardians." He looked down at her, shaking in his arms, and his gaze melted. "Do you want to go with me? I can protect you—"

"No, that's okay," Claire said, unwrapping herself from her blankets to get ready for the day. "I'll be alright. Dreams can only go so far right?" she said, pulling away from him.

"_Dreams_ can," Jack allowed.

-((oh man))-

"I'm _telling_ you, she saw him!" Jack was trying to explain to the assembled guardians in the North Pole later that day. "He's back!"

"Are you sure?" the Tooth Fairy said, concerned. "She didn't see him in person—"

"She has had a nightmare every day this week," Jack emphasized. "She hasn't had any others since before I met her!" he all but shouted.

"This could be serious," North agreed. "We have to talk to the girl. Can you bring her here?"

"Definitely." Jack said, already moving to leave. Bunny held him back.

"I'll go with you mate. I've got a bad feeling about this."

-((Meanwhile))-

"And how's my darling little sister?"

Claire smiled into the phone as she walked to her car after school, talking to her brother. "I'm not gonna lie; things have been a little stressful lately," she trailed off, seeing someone waiting by her car in the parking lot. She couldn't make out the figure; she was still too far away.

"Stressful? Well that's normal; you're almost finished so these classes are hard—"

"Hunter?" Claire asked, cutting him off. As she neared the car, she recognized the pale figure that stood there, waiting for her. Her heart dropped through her stomach. "I just ran into someone I have to talk to; I'll call you back," without waiting for a reply, she hung up the phone.

"What do you want?" she asked from her place over ten feet away from her car and the shadowy figure from her nightmares.

In an instant, the shadow appeared before her. "You, my dear," he said before she was engulfed in darkness.

-((To Be Continued))-

Finally, some action! Review and let me know if you like it!

~freaky-hanyou


	8. What You Didn't See Coming

Wow you guys! Thank you SO much for all the reviews and follows! It really made the day. Thank you thank you TheImaginativeOne, Alaee301, Lady Minuialwen, That Girl in the TARDIS (I threw back my head in laughter at your imagery), iMusicMonstrosity, and Anon-e-mouse (I'm glad you appreciate my shout out, I love giving them :) ) for your wonderful and encouraging reviews!

I'll just get right into this, because we all know that it's gotta get just a bit worse right?

Right? Hehee!

**Of Soft Breezes and Wintry Nights**

_Chapter Eight: What You Didn't See Coming_

"Claire?" Jack called as the two arrived at her apartment. He hovered in front of her bedroom window while Bunny waited on the pavement out front. "Claire?" he called a little louder as he knocked on her window. He looked down at Bunny, who raised an eyebrow.

"Is there a problem?" he called.

"I'm not sure," Jack replied, slightly puzzled. He hesitated before pulling open the window himself. _If nothing's wrong, she's going to kill me,_ he thought as he let himself into her bedroom.

"Claire!" he called loudly, breezing through her apartment. She was nowhere to be seen. He flew back out the window in a panic, barely remembering to shut it behind him before landing next to Bunny on the pavement.

"She's not there; she's gone!" he all but shouted, eyes scanning the surroundings as if she would just pop out from behind the nearest lamppost.

"Calm down mate," Bunny said, making deliberate eye contact, "What if she's still at school?"

"Not by now," Jack replied, panic increasing. "It's so late already; if she stayed at school to study she would have told me so I could meet her," he explained.

"So you think—" Bunny started.

"I _know_ Pitch has her!" Jack shouted, already taking to the air, unable to sit still. "Bunny, go back to the Pole, tell the others! When I find Claire, she'll call for you to meet us!"

"But how will you find her?" Bunny asked as he began to soar away.

"I don't know," Jack called down as he flew higher, "but I have to try," he said with determination as he took off down the street with a burst of speed.

-((Meanwhile))-

_I'm not crazy,_ Claire thought determinedly as the nightmares raced before her so quickly she lost track. _This is all an illusion, and there's nothing to be afraid of. _She sat encased in her familiar grey fog, surrounded by visions of Jack dying, Hunter murdered, killing Hunter's wife herself—

"_Stop already!"_ Claire shouted into the mist. _"I'm not afraid of you!"_

"_Oh, but you should be, dear girl," _a voice said right next to her ear. Claire shivered with revulsion as she turned to face Pitch. The fog faded away to reveal that the two were in an underground labyrinth of caves and tunnels. Relieved that her senses felt in a semblance of order, Claire immediately sprinted for the nearest tunnel, hoping it was an exit. Immediately, black sand swirled underneath her feet. Her feet sunk into the sand beneath her, and tendrils of sand shot out to bind her hands behind her back. She glared as Pitch approached, grinning.

"Foolish girl," Pitch said softly with a smile, "Did you think you could escape?" He called some of the sand to him and it ran through his fingertips. "You'll never get out of here. After all, none of the guardians have been to my new hideout." His smile grew as he ran his fingers through her hair, tangling it with sand. "He'll never find you here."

Claire's eyes widened a fraction as she realized her way out. _Of course-!_ She was quick to cover her elation however, and jerked away from Pitch's grasp. "Jack will have no trouble finding _you,_" she spat, trying to edge away from him and failing.

"Oh?" Pitch said, amused. "And why do you say that?"

"Because he's Jack Frost!" She continued, trying to mention his name as much as possible. "Jack's defeated you before, and he'll defeat you again!"

"This is true," Pitch allowed, studying the sand on his fingertips. In an instant, he disappeared and reappeared behind her, a blade made from black sand pressed to her neck. "And what makes you think that you'll be alive to see that happen?"

Claire tried not to whimper as the blade was held tighter and tighter to her flesh. "I have my reasons," she said cryptically, trying not to move her neck. "Jack's a better man than you'll ever be."

Pitch chuckled. "I never said I wanted to be the _better man_; I just want to be _better_ than your precious guardians!" he exclaimed before he drew in close to her ear again. "And you've been the perfect bait," he whispered.

_What-?_ Claire thought, but was distracted as he moved to draw the blade across her neck. However, he was stopped by a stream of ice at his hand.

Jack stepped into view, staff at the ready. "Not if I can help it," he said with determination, steely gaze focused on Pitch.

Pitch immediately withdrew from behind Claire, gathering a large amount of sand to him that slowly took shape into his massive sand scythe. "Jack, how nice of you to join us!" he said with mock warmth in his tone. "It's been too _long!_" he shouted as he swung the blade at Jack. Jack dodged it easily, sending shots of ice at Pitch in retaliation. Pitch used tiny walls of sand to block each shot, and the two flew around the room, exchanging blows.

_Bait…?_ Claire's mind whirred, trying to make sense of his meaning as she watched Pitch's scythe transform into a spear, trying to impale Jack to the wall. Jack ducked before sending a harsh gust of air filled with icicles at Pitch.

_He didn't take me for revenge,_ Claire realized, struggling anew at her bonds as Pitch captured the icicles in a net of sand before turning them back on Jack, who blew them away with another burst of wind. "_Jack!_" she cried out, drawing his attention to her, "I'm not—" she was abruptly cut off as sand from the pool at her feet wrapped around her mouth, forming an effective gag. Pitch used Jack's split-second of inattentiveness to shoot four blocks of sand at Jack that pinned each of his limbs to the wall more effectively than concrete. The staff was knocked out of Jack's hand to clatter ineffectively to the ground.

"Ah ah ah," Pitch chided as he neared the struggling Jack, "Musn't give away the fun too early, little girl." Jack glared at Pitch, struggling with all his might against the bonds.

"_Why,_ Pitch," Jack ground out as said shadow grew closer, "Why now? You're no stronger than you were before," he mocked, even though he was still pinned to the wall.

Pitch feigned hurt. "You wound me, Jack! I agree I'm not much more powerful than I was before," he said as he transported himself next to the still-struggling Claire. "But I daresay I'm doing a very good job of it," he grinned, running his fingers through Claire's hair again.

"_Don't you touch her!_" Jack said, using all of his might to release one of his arms from his sandy bonds; however, Pitch quickly replaced it with two more.

"Alright, since you asked _so nicely,_" Pitch mocked, stepping away from her. "After all, she's not what I'm interested in," he said as he slowly approached Jack.

"What?" Jack said, momentarily stopping his struggle.

"I just admitted to you that I'm not much more powerful than I was before," Pitch repeated, drawing closer, "but I've discovered a new way to drastically increase it…that's where you come in," he said, smile growing as Jack's eyes narrowed.

"Me?" he said, confusion displayed in his blue stare. "I thought—"

"I don't care about your stupid little human girlfriend," Pitch said sharply, sending a jet of sandy spikes at Claire that missed her head by inches. As Jack protested, Pitch spoke over him, "Although she did make the most _wonderful_ bait that drew you right into my trap."

"Bait?" Jack said, still dumbstruck.

"Oh come on Jack it's really not that hard," Pitch said, lacing his fingers together in front of his face as he stopped in front of him. "I need _you_ for my little experiment, and I needed _her_ so she would summon _you_ to my side! Thank you for that, little girl," Pitch said with a nod in her direction.

"I'll _die_ before I help you," Jack said vehemently.

"Oh I sincerely hope not," Pitch said as he opened his hands and formed a cloth out of black sand. "But I _do_ hope that this is painful," he said before holding the sandy cloth in front of Jack's face and nose much like one would with a cloth of chloroform.

Claire's heart stopped as Jack let out a scream behind the cloth that Pitch held up to his face. He twitched and convulsed against the wall, yelling continuously. Claire renewed her useless efforts to be free, tears pricking the corners of her eyes at her inability to help him. All at once, Jack stopped moving and slumped against the wall. Pitch snapped his fingers, and his bonds disappeared; Jack fell to the floor with a thump.

Claire screamed from behind her own gag, fearing the worst. She felt a wave of relief when she saw Jack shift on the ground. Some of that relief subsided when she realized Pitch was grinning from ear to ear.

_Why isn't he stopping him?_ Claire wondered, panic growing. Claire watched as Jack grabbed his staff and slowly stood, opening his now blood red eyes.

Claire gasped at the sight of Jack's eyes. At that instant, her own bonds were freed, and she took a large free breath of air as her confusion grew.

"Jack?" she whispered, garnering no reaction from said wintry legend. He just stood there, staring at Pitch.

"Shall we?" Pitch said, extending his hand. Jack nodded, stepping forward to stand alongside Pitch.

Claire felt her legs give out from under her, and she knelt on the unforgiving ground as she watched Jack join Pitch.

"What's going on?" she whispered in disbelief.

"I've turned him!" Pitch said with delight, marveling at how Jack fell into step behind him as he walked towards Claire. "He'll obey my every command," he said with sinister delight dancing in his eyes. "Want to watch?" Pitch asked before Claire's world went black.

In the next instant, Claire found herself on her knees in front of her apartment building. Jack and Pitch stood before her in the quiet darkness.

"Jack," Pitch said, and Jack looked to him for a word of guidance. "The worst blizzard you can create, if you please." Jack's grin was entirely too menacing as he took to the skies, summoning threatening clouds to the area. In a matter of minutes, the world was blanketed in white and ice. Harsh bursts of wind swirled the snow in every direction. Claire could barely see Pitch, who stood a few feet from her.

"How does a blizzard help you?" Claire yelled through the blustering wind as she gathered her coat more tightly to herself.

"It sets the stage for the coming destruction of the guardians!" Pitch yelled triumphantly, and in an instant he was standing on top of a light pole near Jack. "Until their appearance," he continued, "I am in need of some entertainment. Jack," he called again for his new wintry friend, who looked at him questioningly.

"See that girl?" Pitch said, gesturing to Claire, who carefully got to her feet, avoiding the ice.

"Kill her."

-((To Be Continued!))-

::dramatic music::

Let me know what you think! Reviews are most welcomed!

~freaky-hanyou


	9. I Care About You Too Much

Well, with that kind of reaction, what a horrible person I would be to leave you hanging! So thank you, _thank you,_ That Girl in the TARDIS, LuffyxRuby, ParrotCrazy, iMusicMonstrosity, Lady Minuialwen, and Anon-e-mouse SO much for your (very enthusiastic) responses. It is because of you lovely people that I am getting this out there, thank you!

I'm just going to shut up because something tells me you want to know what happens!

**Of Soft Breezes and Wintry Nights**

_Chapter Nine: I Care About You Too Much_

"_Son of a bitch," _Claire murmured as she squinted into the blizzard at Jack and Pitch in the distance, "Did he just say—"

"Done," Jack replied to Pitch's command before he burst into action, speeding at Claire as fast as a bullet.

"Christ-!" Claire reacted purely on instinct and jumped out of his way into a pile of snow next to the pavement; Jack stopped easily and slid on the ice, coming to a stop in front of her.

"Think you can stop me?" Jack said with a warped crooked grin, red eyes leering at her through the snow.

Claire's mind worked furiously as she hurriedly gathered some snow to herself. "I've got to try!" she exclaimed as she threw a snowball at his face. Caught off guard, it took Jack a second or two to regain his senses before he saw her take off down the sidewalk, stumbling slightly as she tried not to fall on the ever-growing ice.

"How the hell am I going to get out of this," she said to herself in a panic. Jack's grin widened as he took to the air, chasing her down again. Claire ignored the sob that worked into her throat as she looked over her shoulder, seeing Jack chasing her again.

_He was supposed to _protect _me,_ she thought bitterly as he gained on her. "That's it!" She exclaimed, "I'm an idiot." She didn't have much time to celebrate her mental triumph as Jack flew overhead, pushing her head down so she would lose her balance. Claire stumbled and fell onto the pavement hard, popping her shoulder out of place. She cried out in pain, and Jack landed before her, unaffected.

"You're going to pay for that," Jack said harshly, pointing his staff downward at her.

Claire bit her lip to stave off another cry of pain. "Come on, Jack," she stalled as she tried to get up, "where's your sense of fun and adventure?" Jack raised an eyebrow but let her struggle to her feet.

"This is fun," he pointed out, hovering slightly above the pavement to enhance his aim. He shot out a jet of ice at her, and Claire dove under him, using the frozen pavement to propel her down the sidewalk away from him.

"Dammit," Claire said aloud, "Guardians!" She tried to hastily execute her plan, but Jack, had already turned to hunt her down again, was giving her no time to think. "Santa, The Easter Bunny! Uuuhhh," Claire stood up quickly again, looking for other avenues to pursue that would stop Jack from freezing her to death as she tried to remember the other guardians. "Anyone! Jack's gone crazy! _Help!_" she cried as she was forced to dive into another snow drift to dodge a wall of icicles. Claire stood up again, breathing hard.

"You're a slippery one, aren't you," Jack said, landing in front of her. His gaze turned sinister. "I can remedy that," he said, and pointed his staff at her once more.

Claire felt the tears freeze on her cheeks as they fell. "Jack," she said brokenly, "Don't do this."

Jack only grinned wider as she fell to her knees in front of him. Pitch took this moment to appear next to Jack, all smiles.

"You finally give up?" he gloated, "Good." He patted Jack on the shoulder as encouragement. "Finish her."

Claire closed her eyes as Jack summoned a jet of ice to the tip of his staff. In the next instant, Claire felt something very big, warm, and fuzzy push her shoulders and roll with her out of the stream of ice. Claire opened her eyes, and the Easter Bunny now stood before her in a protective stance.

"What are you _crazy mate_?" Bunny exclaimed, glaring at Jack. His eyes narrowed in confusion as he noticed Jack's eyes.

"_Finally!_" Pitch said relieved as he saw Bunny and North appear soon after. "The real battle can begin!" Pitch let out a battle cry as he summoned his scythe, engaging North and his twin swords in a duel.

"He can't hear you," Claire said softly as she stood up behind Bunny, gripping her shoulder. "Thanks, by the way."

Bunny turned to look at Claire briefly before resuming his stare-down with the red-eyed Jack. "What's wrong with him?"

"Pitch brainwashed him," Claire explained, "I don't know how; he used the sand somehow. He only listens to _him_," she spat out in the direction of Pitch, who had tried to use his shadowy abilities to sneak up on North; he was thwarted when North turned abruptly to block Pitch's would-be-fatal blow.

"If you're finished," Jack cut in, stalking closer. "I have my orders and a girl to take care of."

Bunny crouched into a ready stance in front of her. "You don't want to do that mate."

"Oh, but I do," Jack said with an evil sneer before taking off into the wind. Bunny leapt up in front of him before he could reach Claire, intercepting his attack. He spun quickly, using Jack's momentum to hurl him in the opposite direction.

"This is bad," Bunny said in the brief second before Jack returned. He threw a boomerang, which Jack easily dodged. Bunny then ducked and leapt over Jack's jets of ice in such a way that Jack was right in the boomerang's returning path; it clipped Jack in the back of the head as it returned to its master. Jack's eyes seemed to only get darker as he glared at the bunny.

Bunny landed in front of Claire again, continuing what he was going to say before. "We've got to get him under control before he gets worse," he said, watching Jack shake the slight dizziness the boomerang gave him. "He's breaking his oath as a guardian, brainwashed or not." He looked up into the stormy sky as if he could see the moon beyond the clouds. "The Man in the Moon won't like it, and if he stays like this long enough he'll take away Jack's powers as a precaution." Bunny's explanation was cut off abruptly as Jack made a flying leap at Bunny, who absorbed the blow and kicked Jack off of himself high into the air. As if the Man in the Moon heard their conversation, Jack's ability to fly sputtered, and he lost control of the wind briefly. However, he quickly righted himself and flew back down to attack Bunny.

Claire watched in horror as the two continued to fight. "Lose his powers…?" she repeated softly, furiously trying to think of a way to stop him. She watched paralyzed as Jack gained the upper hand, pushing Bunny to the ground.

_He'll never forgive himself,_ Claire thought, watching the action play out in slow motion. She reached out for the two who were about five feet down the path as if there was something she could do. She pulled back her hands, relieved to see Bunny get to his feet, fighting back. Her relief was short-lived, however; Jack easily pushed the winded guardian back into a pile of snow. He aimed his staff for a finishing blow.

"_No!"_ Claire screeched into the wind, instinctively reaching out for the two again. Suddenly, a strong gust of winter air shot out of her hands, blowing Jack out of range to eliminate Bunny. Claire looked down at her hands in disbelief. _What…?_

"Foolish girl," Jack spat, taking to the air to fly at her. However, he seemed to stumble mid-flight and was unable to fly very high; he settled for skating across the ice towards her.

Claire could think of no plausible explanation for what just happened. She did know that she needed it to happen again, quickly, before Jack lost all power or killed her. She held her hands out at the approaching guardian, dismayed that no wind came out.

"Shit," she said before Jack shot a stream of ice at her. She wasn't quick enough to dodge, and her right leg became encased in painful ice. She bit back a scream, trying to stamp her foot into the ground to break the ice.

"Got you," Jack said as he moved to fire again. At that instant, he was tackled by Bunny; however, Jack was ready this time and continued the roll so Bunny was the one that ended up on the ground.

Claire held her hands out in front of her, willing something to happen. "Please," she said with a sob, "I care about you too much to let it end this way!" She renewed her determination, and focused all of her _being_ into her hands.

Jack stifled a snort. "Speak for yourself," he said, and sent a fatal stream of ice at her.

"_Jack!"_ Claire cried out, feeling a powerful explosion of air burst from her fingertips. She felt something cold fly through her as she watched Jack's back collide harshly with a streetlight. Claire saw his red eyes close and felt a tear run down her cheek as she fell back onto the pavement, feeling cold in every pore and nerve.

_Please be alive,_ was her last thought before she gave in to the darkness.

-((To Be Continued!))-

I said I wouldn't leave you hanging from yesterday, but I never said how I'd end this one XD Man, story climaxes are just _full_ of cliffhangers, aren't they?

Please let me know what you think!

~freaky-hanyou


	10. Fallout

Hello there! I'm sorry I couldn't update yesterday, I stayed up late updating the last chapter and so I fell asleep on the couch last night -.- As far as the rest of the story goes, I daresay I am reaching the end! I can see two more chapters. Maaaaaaybe an epilogue? I haven't thought that far into the future yet.

But, THANK YOU iMusicMonstrosity, That Girl in the TARDIS, Lady Minuialwen, & Anon-e-mouse for letting me know you wanted more! Gives me that extra bit of strength to sit at the computer and focus :)

ALSO that was the worst of it! I can't promise, but I don't have anything evil like that planned in the future as far as I'm concerned XD

**Of Soft Breezes and Wintry Nights**

_Chapter Ten: Fallout_

_Claire Breeze…_

"Mmm…what?" Claire stirred on the pavement, opening her eyes to see a light snowfall falling from the clouds. She shifted, trying to right herself into a sitting position. Having successfully sat up, she took inventory of her wounds. She noticed that her right leg was still a solid block of ice below the knee. However, none of her other injuries seemed to hurt anymore. Her thoughts about standing were interrupted by a voice piercing the night.

"_NO!"_ She heard as if from a dream…a nightmare. She shook her head, trying to regain her senses while searching for the voice.

Pitch continued to wail in anguish as he saw Jack unconscious by the streetlight. He parried an attack from North before sending a barrage of black sandy spikes in every direction. North blocked his swords in front of him for protection, and when he could see again, Pitch was already far away, near a street gutter.

"You'll pay for this!" he spat, still backing away. "I'm not done yet; you'll never finish me!"

With a puff of smoke, he disappeared into the dark gutter.

Claire felt a small amount of relief at his disappearance. Her eyes then fell to Jack, and her heartache and fears returned tenfold. Ignoring her frozen leg, she struggled to her feet. Once she righted herself, she noticed that her leg didn't hurt either, despite being frozen solid. She hobbled quickly over to Jack's side, bringing his head into her lap.

She shook him gently. "Jack," she called gently, "Jack! Please don't be dead," she said, running her fingers through his hair, trying to wake him.

He didn't move.

Claire redoubled her efforts, shaking him again as Bunny and North approached.

"Claire…" Bunny said gently, putting a hand on her shoulder. Claire shook him off.

"He's still alive!" Claire protested, tears stinging her cheeks. As if to emphasize her point, she leaned down, kissing him harshly. North and Bunny saw a blue light briefly before Claire pulled back, tears running down her cheeks.

"He's not…" she started, trailing off despondently.

At that moment, Jack stirred slightly in Claire's embrace. Claire let out a sob of relief, reaching for one of his hands to grip it tightly.

Blearily, his eyes opened slightly. They were once again ice blue. "Claire…" he whispered before he passed out.

Claire looked to Bunny and North for help. "He needs help," Claire said, struggling to right him.

North reached down and hefted Jack over his shoulders before reaching into his pocket for a snow globe. "We'll take him to the Pole," he said, throwing the ball to open a gaping portal.

Claire tried to stand but was once again reminded of her frozen leg. Bunny took a boomerang and stabbed it into the ice, causing it to crack and shatter, freeing her leg. She smiled in thanks.

"Let's go," he said, helping her stand.

-((The North Pole))-

Claire sat in a chair next to the bed where Jack lay above the covers. A window was open in the small bedroom, bringing in a gentle winter breeze. Claire held his hand, willing him to wake up again. When North had carried him into the room, he tried to convince Claire to get some rest, but she would not be budged. He and Bunny were in the control area, discussing Pitch's possible next move as well as if and when he would strike.

Claire reluctantly let go of Jack's hand, standing to stretch in the room. As she stood, she caught her reflection in a mirror across the room. She turned, slowly approaching the mirror, transfixed at what she saw.

Her once shoulder length brown hair now had several broad streaks of white streaking through it. She looked at herself closer in the mirror; her complexion had gotten lighter, and if she looked _very_ closely, she could clearly see large flecks of blue in her once solidly green eyes.

_Strange,_ she thought, turning her hair with her hands to examine its new color. _Those streaks are white to the root…_

"Your hair…" Claire heard a voice croak from behind her. She spun around and saw that Jack's eyes were open. He smiled weakly. She was by his side in an instant.

"Are you alright?" she asked, taking his hand in both of her own.

Jack smiled softly. "I'll be fine. What happened?"

Claire frowned. "You don't remember?"

Jack's eyebrows came together in thought. "I remember following your voice to Pitch's hideout…he had us both in a tight spot…and then…oh _Claire_—" he said cutting himself off as the memories returned to him in a rush. He reached his other hand to Claire's cheek and met her eyes, his own swelling with emotion. "Claire, I—"

"Don't even try to apologize," she said, cutting him off. "You were in no control."

Jack shook his head slightly. "But I—"

"Shush," Claire said stubbornly. He took his hand from her cheek, and intertwined both of her hands with his. "You did nothing wrong," she reiterated. "I'm fine, see?" She smiled. "I'm just glad we saved you before the Man in the Moon took away your powers…" she trailed off.

"For all we know, he might have," Jack said darkly, looking away. "I don't feel…quite right…" he trailed off.

"Well you did hit that streetlight pretty hard," Claire said with a slight laugh. She stood, "I'll tell North you're awake. We'll get you something to eat, and you'll feel better real soon!" She turned to leave.

"Claire?" Claire heard him call out, and she turned to his voice. She inhaled sharply, seeing the unspoken emotion of caring and tenderness glittering in his eyes.

"Thank you," he said, and he meant for more than just going to get him food.

"I…you're welcome," she said, blushing slightly as she left the room.

-((::fast forward::))-

There wasn't much time to discuss her new appearance with Jack because when she returned to his room with a sandwich he was already fast asleep. When he awoke she barely had enough time to help him eat before he fell back asleep again. Soon after, Claire's own eyelids were drooping, and despite North's efforts to get her to her own bedroom, she fell asleep in the chair.

The next morning, Claire awoke to a familiar pair of lips pressed to hers. She responded automatically before gasping and pulling away.

"Jack!" she protested, seeing the mischievous guardian sitting up in bed, leaning over to her chair.

"Good morning," he said with a smirk. "I feel a lot better!" He tried to stand but failed to hide a wince. Claire smirked, ignoring her own creaking joints as she stood to lean over his bed, kissing him again.

"Not that much better I see," she said with a grin, as she pulled away. She stopped halfway however, brows furrowed. "Wait a minute…" she said before bringing her lips to his again. Jack didn't mind, and soon brought his arms up around her waist, trying to pull her into bed with him. She pulled back before he could succeed. He frowned when he saw her concerned expression.

"Your lips…"she started, staring at the pale mouth in question.

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Too chapped?"

Claire gave him a 'be-serious' look. "They're not cold to me," she replied, feeling his cheek and face. "How did I not notice before?" she murmured, kissing him again briefly to check.

"Maybe you weren't kissing me long enough?" Jack said hopefully, always open to more kisses. Claire rolled her eyes before once again covering his mouth with hers. She groaned as Jack took control, reaching a hand to entwine in her newly-altered hair as he ran his tongue across her lips.

A throat cleared, and the two sprang apart, blushing. Claire stood next to the bed as she saw North at the door, eyebrow raised.

"You must be feeling better, Jack," North said with a grin.

"It's not what you think!" Claire protested. North stared at her, and she blushed more. "Well…it is what you think, but it was out of concern! He doesn't feel cold to me anymore, so I needed…to…check…" she trailed off, embarrassed.

North let out a boom of laughter before crossing the floor to the bed in three great strides. He felt Jack's arm and face before smiling widely. "Don't worry girl, he's fine! He feels very cold to me," he said, meeting her confused gaze.

"What's going on?" Bunny asked, popping his head around the door frame. "Is he alright or not? I've got to get back to the Warren already-what happened to you?" Bunny said, eyes resting upon Claire's new features that he didn't see clearly in the storm and the chaos of getting Jack to the North Pole.

"Has she not always looked like this?" North said, confused. He was fighting Pitch most of the time, and never got a clear look at Claire during the blizzard.

"Definitely not," Bunny said, approaching her. "She's paler, has white in her hair, and…blue in her eyes?" Bunny reached out to feel her cheek. "Kinda cold, too…"

"Hey!" Jack protested from the bed, "get your hands off my—" he cut himself off, suddenly embarrassed.

"Oh shut up Jack, I'm not going to try and steal your girlfriend," Bunny said, rolling his eyes. "Although it is suspicious and very coincidental…first Jack's powers start to fail, and bursts of wind come from your hands…" he trailed off. "Do you have Jack's powers?" he asked.

Claire's expression turned to one of confusion. "I don't think so," she said, turning to Jack. "You can still summon snow and ice and everything right?"

Jack opened his palm, and a small snowflake appeared there easily. Claire held out her hand, and tried to do the same thing. Nothing happened.

"See?" Claire said as if that settled the matter. "That's not what happened. I don't have Jack's powers," she said as if the idea was absurd.

"You're right mate," Bunny agreed. "That's not what happened. You used the _wind._ Can you summon a breeze Jack?"

Jack looked to the open window and gestured at the already present gentle breeze, beckoning it to strengthen. The breeze grew slightly stronger, but only by a small margin. Jack frowned. "That's not what I told it to do…" he said, confused.

"Claire?" Bunny asked, turning in her direction.

Claire sputtered, uncomfortable. "I don't know how to summon the wind!" she protested.

"You've done it before," Bunny pointed out. Claire sighed before holding her hands out toward the window, thinking in her mind that the breeze should strengthen. All at once, a strong gust of wind burst through the window, ruffling the contents of the room. Claire, startled, put down her hands, and the wind returned to its normal breeze.

She stared down at her hands as if they betrayed her. "But that can't be right, to become a…a…"

"The way I see it, you seem to be half of a guardian," Bunny hypothesized.

"Sure, to become _that,"_ Claire continued, "I would have to…" she trailed off, looking at Jack in shock.

"I would have to have _died…_" she continued in a whisper. Jack's eyes widened in shock as he was overpowered by a wave of remorse.

"Claire, I—"

"I _died_?" Claire said in disbelief, cutting him off.

"It would seem that way," North agreed. "When Jack is better, the two of you will have to figure out exactly what happened. Did you hear the Man in the Moon?" he asked.

"What? Noo," Claire emphasized as she remembered, "When I woke up, everything was fuzzy, and—" she gasped as she paused in thought.

"Claire Breeze," she whispered. The men in the room looked at her, confused. "I heard a voice say that in my head, as if it was my—"

"Your name," Jack finished, still overcome by what he had unknowingly done.

"But that can't _be,_" she said in disbelief, "I'm not….I'm almost done with college…Hunter's going to help me find a job—" she gasped again, reaching into the pocket of her jeans. Not finding her cell phone there, she moved to the chair where she had hung her coat. Finding her cell phone, she realized that she had put it on silent for school the day before.

"Hunter…" she said forlornly, seeing that she had 25 missed calls from said brother.

-((To Be Continued!))-

Okay maybe two chapters and an epilogue, I have no idea. Things are stretching and contracting in ways I can't predict in this story!

Let me know what you think!

~freaky-hanyou


	11. Believe in Me

Why hello there! Sorry this took a bit; school started again yesterday and I really need to get the lead out here if I want to finish this before school _really_ gets moving. The original goal was to finish before school began, but I'm pretty close so I can make it work. As always, Thank you to the reviewers: iMusicMonstrosity, SummerAngelz, Lady Minuialwen, Anon-e-mouse, and Silver Eyed Slayer! I always love to see a review XD

Also, Anon-e-mouse brought up a good point; she asked me if you can be a guardian without being dead, and honestly I don't know. I just assumed because Jack died that you had to. So I want to clarify that for the sake if this story, in order to become a mythical being you have to die. Thank you very much for bringing this to my attention! I don't want to confuse anyone!

The rest will be explained in this chapter I hope, because I know you have more questions than that ;)

ALSO I have this weird habit where I proofread the previous chapter before I go to write the new one, so if you ever reread previous chapters and see differences that's what happened :) Alright let's get this show on the road!

**Of Soft Breezes and Wintry Nights**

_Chapter Eleven: Believe in Me_

Putting aside all of her new anxieties about what she may have become, Claire hurriedly dialed his number to assure him that she was alright and unhurt. However, as soon as he picked up the phone, Claire almost immediately realized that something was wrong?

"Hello? Claire?" she heard her brother say anxiously. "Are you alright? Where are you?"

"Hunter!" Claire exclaimed, "I'm all right! I'm _so _sorry I hung up so quickly the other day; things have been kind of crazy lately and—"

"Claire? _Claire?_" Hunter continued as if he hadn't heard her, his voice frantic.

"I'm here!" she all but shouted into the phone. The other end suddenly went silent.

"Listen," Hunter said in a low voice, so calm it was threatening. "I don't know who you are or why you have kidnapped Claire, but please let her go. I've filed a missing persons report, and the police will find you shortly."

"Hunter, listen to me-"

"You can have anything you want; just give me back my sister." He hung up the phone.

"He couldn't hear me," Claire said in disbelief, sitting down in the chair in shock.

"Let me try," Jack said, reaching for her phone, "you believe in Jack Frost, so he must too, right? I'll talk to him, and—"

"No!" Claire shouted, snatching the phone out of his reach before he had a hold on it. "No," she said more calmly. "He thinks I've been kidnapped. If he talks to anyone on this phone that isn't me it'll just make it worse," she said forlornly.

The room was silent as the guardians allowed Claire to make sense of what has happened.

"I don't understand," she said slowly after a moment. "Why couldn't he hear me?"

"He doesn't believe in you," North supplied, trying to explain gently. "Now that you're a guardian-"

"I know how that works!" she yelled, cutting him off. She looked up apologetically. "Sorry," she said. "It's just…how did this happen?"

"Here's my guess," Jack said angrily, bitterly. "Because I was going crazy and needed to be stopped, the Man in the Moon decided to give my powers to you. You saved me from losing all of my powers by defeating me before he could complete the process. But because you died, if the Man in the Moon returned my powers to me you would be dead. So he left them, and now you share my powers and can't see your brother or finish school. All because of me," he finished, clearly upset with himself.

"This wasn't your fault Jack," North said rationally, "you were brainwashed by Pitch!"

"That doesn't make it right!" Jack said angrily, gripping the covers in his hands.

Claire covered one of Jack's hands with her own, but was still confused and felt the need to ask more questions. "So…I share Jack's powers of wind?" she asked.

"It seems you have more control over it than he does," Bunny pointed out.

"Am I a guardian?" she asked softly.

"We will swear you in," North said definitively. "Jack needs you, and you need Jack. Under the circumstances, I think it would be wise for the two of you to work together as guardians." Bunny agreed.

Jack still hadn't said anything since his outburst. "Are you okay?" Claire asked softly, squeezing his hand.

"We're going to see your brother tomorrow," Jack stated. "You may not be able to go to school anymore, but we can still salvage this," he said, determined.

"But Jack, your injuries—"

"I'll be fine," Jack said sharply, trying not to yell. "We're going there tomorrow," he said with finality, and Claire couldn't help but agree, despite her concern for his injuries.

-((The next morning))-

By the next morning, Claire was well and officially a new guardian known as Claire Breeze. She stood outside the workshop with Jack getting ready to fly to Hunter's home. Jack seemed to be doing well, but if he was in pain he wasn't about to admit it.

_Stubborn man,_ Claire thought, seeing Jack wince as he straightened up before the wind. _We can figure out this problem without him killing himself over it._ Jack saw her looking at him and smiled encouragingly.

"Don't worry, I'm fine," he reiterated. "We can come back here after we talk to Hunter and I will rest until you deem me completely healthy," he said, trying to appease her. "For now, we really need to go," he said as he took off into the air. Or at least, tried to take off into the air.

Jack hovered a few feet off the ground, slightly irritated. "I think I need your help, O Ye that Has Most Power over the Wind," Jack said sarcastically, slightly frustrated about his inability to fly with ease.

Claire sputtered. "I don't know how to fly! Even if I command the wind as you guys keep telling me, it can't be that simple! I can't just say 'Let's go wind!' and _woah!_" She was cut off as she was abruptly whisked high into the air by the wind.

She screamed before steadying herself in the air.

"Actually it is that easy," Jack said from about ten feet below her. "A little help?"

"Sure," Claire said but just continued to stare at him. "…How?"

"Hmmm," Jack thought, "if you controlled my entire flight there that would be too difficult for you," he agreed, "Technically we are of the same powers, and I still have some control over the wind. Why don't you focus on allowing me to fly?"

She raised an eyebrow at him, clueless as to how to do so.

"Just try it!" Jack pressed, "It could work!"

"Alright," Claire said, not totally convinced. _I allow Jack Frost to have full use of the wind,_ she thought before pausing to see if it worked. Seeing nothing happen, she sighed. "This is stupid," she said, turning away from him, slightly pacing in the air. "What else should I try?"

"Nothing," she heard from a voice beside her, and she squeaked in surprise at seeing Jack hovering right next to her. "Whatever you did worked," he said before reaching out and wrapping his arm around her waist.

"You know," he murmured as he moved steadily closer to her lips, "since you're a guardian, you get to live forever with me now," he pointed out before kissing her softly. "How does that sound?"

"Frightening," she said honestly, "And yet exhilarating at the same time. I can't imagine what it's like to live for centuries," she continued, "but I'm willing to try."

Jack smiled, kissed her again, and reluctantly let go. "Let's go talk to your brother. Think he keeps his windows unlocked?"

-((Here we go!))-

Hunter paced the floor of his living room in the late hours of the night, unable to do anything. Unable to sleep, unable to eat, unable to _breathe—_

Abruptly, he sat on the couch with his head in his hands. "Why is this happening," he whispered to himself, "How could she not have told me something was wrong? I could've—"

"You couldn't have done anything," a male voice said from right in front of him. Hunter jumped, lifting his head from his hands to see a barefoot teenager about Claire's age in brown skinny jeans and a blue hoodie, holding a strange stick-thing. His hair was a frosty white, and his eyes were a startling shade of blue.

"Who are you?" Hunter asked, standing and reaching for something to use as a weapon. Finding none, he reached for the boy. "What have you done with my _sister—_"

"Woah, calm down!" Jack said, hovering a bit to evade his grasp. "Claire is safe! She's here!"

Hunter calmed slightly at this information. "Where is she?"

"In this room."

Hunter's eyes narrowed. "No she isn't. Where is—"

"Listen!" Jack exclaimed, trying to get him to understand. He looked at Claire beside him, whose blue-green eyes held an unspeakable pain at being so close and yet so far from her brother. Determined, Jack's gaze held on Hunter. "You have to understand what I'm about to try to explain to you."

"Why should I?" Hunter said harshly.

"If you do, you'll get to see Claire—"

"Is that a threat?" Hunter said, moving to attack again.

"It's not a threat, it's a fact!" Jack all but shouted. It was late, and he didn't want to cause a sensation. "Something has happened to your sister, and I need you to understand. Will you at least try?" Jack said, trying not to beg. He needed to understand in order for Claire to have her brother in her new life.

Hunter held his gaze for a moment, glaring. "Fine," he ground out, sitting down.

Jack let out a sigh of relief. "Great. First off, I'm Jack Frost." At this, Hunter stood up in surprise.

"Don't believe me?" Jack questioned with an eyebrow raised, gesturing to the ground at his feet that was already iced over. "I know you believe in me, or you wouldn't be able to see me."

Hunter slowly sat back down, surprise evident on his face.

"Shall I continue, or give you a minute?" Jack said patiently. Hunter nodded reluctantly. "A few months ago, I met your sister," Jack continued. Seeing Hunter's mouth open with a question, Jack cut him off. "If I explain how, it'll just confuse you more. Let's just stick with the basics for now. I met your sister, and because of me she was kidnapped by the Boogeyman."

"What?" Hunter said, amazed that Jack could say that with a straight face. "Is this a joke?"

"No," Jack said seriously before continuing, "she almost died, and in fact…." He hesitated before saying the hardest part. "She did."

"She _what_? But you said—"

"Let me finish!" Jack said, free hand up in a placating gesture. "She died, but she became a guardian." Before Hunter could even ask, Jack continued. "She gained some of my own powers, and has been given a new life as a guardian of children around the world. Her name is now Claire Breeze, and she can control the wind." As if to help, Claire summoned a winter breeze through the window they entered, ruffling Hunter's sandy blonde hair.

Hunter paused a moment, trying to absorb this. "So if she's a guardian, as you say, why can I see her and not you?"

"You believe in me," Jack said simply, "But you don't believe in your sister." Hunter made to protest, but Jack cut him off. "That is you don't believe in the mythical being Claire Breeze."

Hunter made a noise of disbelief. "So you say that if I believe in 'Claire Breeze,' a guardian of the wind, I'll be able to see my sister?"

"For the rest of your life," Jack said definitively.

Hunter leaned back on the couch, rubbing his temples. "For all I know, this could be a crazy dream I am having," he murmured to himself.

"It's not. It's—"

"I know what you're telling me to believe, but I just can't believe it on the spot," Hunter said as he stood. "I need to sleep on this…this 'guardians' thing. How will I be able to contact you?"

"Just call my name, and I'll hear you," Jack said. His eyes flitted to the left as he noticed Claire run up the stairs, disappearing in the house.

"….Alright," Hunter said, deciding not to question it. "I'll give this some serious thought. Thanks…Jack," he said, holding out a hand.

"You're welcome," Jack said, shaking it. Instantly, Hunter recoiled from the cold, and Jack smirked before disappearing out the window in a winter breeze.

Hunter shook himself before moving to shut the still-open window. Just before he did, he felt another strong breeze through the house. He shivered, shutting the window.

-((outside))-

"Ready?" Jack asked once Claire exited the house through the window before it was closed. "What were you doing?"

"Just giving him a little push," Claire said mysteriously before the two took off in the wind.

-((back inside))-

Hunter sighed, finally making it up to his bedroom and collapsing gently onto the bed, not wanting to disturb his wife. Just before he lay down, he noticed that his nightstand light was on.

_Strange,_ he thought, _I don't remember leaving that on. _As he reached over to turn it off, he noticed that there was a note scribbled on the notepad on his bedside table.

_Believe in me_, he read in his sister's handwriting. He cried out in surprise, grabbing the paper in his hands and waking up his wife.

-((To Be Continued!))-

Yay! I daresay I have the rest figured out now! I think there will only be an epilogue left! Does everyone understand what happened? I want this to make complete sense by now, so let me know if you have any questions!

Let me know what you think!

~freaky-hanyou


	12. Not Your Fault

So this story isn't as done as I thought it was….I'm adding this chapter in just before the epilogue, so if you've finished it already, pretend you haven't :)

This is basically for Jumpingjamie332 because your (extremely helpful) criticism is absolutely right, and the more I think about it, the more I want to fix it before it's been complete for too long! So thank you very much; this is for you and all after who would think the same thing but not mention it :)

This probably won't be very long, but think of it as a deleted scene if you will :p

**Of Soft Breezes and Wintry Nights**

_Chapter Twelve: Not Your Fault_

Jack sat on a windowsill at the North Pole, convalescing as promised. North said that he and Claire could stay as long as needed, and Claire intended to keep him stationary as long as possible. He smiled softly as he watched her outside the open window, practicing her dips and turns with her newfound powers. Every once in a while, a harsh breeze would send her body careening in a direction she clearly did not intend, and she would squeal with surprise and a little delight.

_She'll get the hang of this soon, I think,_ Jack mused, refraining from shouting pointers and only helping when she asked. His smile disappeared as his thoughts turned to _why_ she had to learn, and that she didn't really have a choice. _She shouldn't have to do this,_ he thought, blue eyes betraying his tormented guilt. _I should've been stronger. I should've been able to hold off Pitch's attacks so she would still be safe at school, living the life she wanted…_

Jack was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't hear Claire calling out to him. "Jack~!" Claire called, facing away from him and deep in concentration. "How do I send out a burst of wind without flying backwards?" She turned around, confused by his lack of response. "Jack?" she questioned, flying over to him. As she got closer, she could see the sorrowful and angst-ridden look in his eyes.

She flew back into the window and sat beside him, automatically taking his hand. "What's wrong?" she asked, "Are you feeling alright?"

"You shouldn't have to do this," Jack said dejectedly, abruptly pulling his hand from hers and turning away. "You should be at school studying for a Spanish test."

"Jack…" Claire said deliberately, "We talked about this already; it's not—"

"The more you say it's not my fault the less I believe it!" Jack exclaimed, balling his hands into fists. "You had a bright future as a normal human being. You were about to graduate college, get a job, have a family…and I took that all away!"

Claire reached tentatively reached for his hand again. "You didn't take that away from me, Pitch did," she said softly. "And besides, my life stopped being normal the instant some guardian wrote 'sorry' on my window shield," she joked, squeezing his hand.

"I should've just left you alone," he said forlornly, trying to pull away again.

Claire held her grip. "No, that's not what I meant! Before I met you, I was stressed and living a solitary monotonous life at college. When I met you, things became so…_magical._ It's true that I had a bright future as a human being, but!" she pointed out when Jack's shoulders slumped, "Who says I don't have a bright future right now?"

"What do you mean?" Jack questioned, a small spark of hope visible in his weary gaze.

"As my future stands now, I get to spend eternity with special powers protecting children with the man I love," she pointed out, "that doesn't sound bad at all to me."

"What—" Jack said, locking his gaze with hers in surprise.

Claire realized what she said and blushed heavily. "Might as well say it now rather than hold out a hundred years or so," she murmured. "I love you, Jack Frost."

Jack couldn't help but smile as he pulled her into his embrace. "I love you too," he murmured into her ear. "Thank you."

Claire smiled and kissed him tenderly, and the two looked out the window in a companionable silence.

"Jack?" Claire asked hesitantly. Jack looked down at her, eyebrow raised. "Do you think he'll be able to see me?" Claire asked softly.

Jack knew who she meant. "I don't see how he couldn't," Jack said, gripping her tightly his arms. "Just give him some time."

Claire rested her head on Jack's shoulder. "You're right," she said as she closed her eyes. The two continued to sit there for a while, before Claire pulled away and hopped out the window again.

"Back to work!" she said, grinning. "Now Jack, I can't get this one move right…"

-((To Be Continued!))-

There, that makes me feel better.

Let me know what you think!

~freaky-hanyou


	13. Epilogue: A Different Kind of Family

((If you're seeing this reposted and wondering why, I added Chapter 12! Make sure to check it out!))

Why hello there! It pleases and pains me to say this, but this will be the last chapter of the story! I wouldn't even call it that, so I won't ;p Confused? You'll see!

Thank you That Girl in the TARDIS, SayHappy, and Lady Minuialwen for their wonderful reviews! And thank you to those in the future who review this chapter or review after I have completed it!

I'll just save the goodbyes for the end then…

**Of Soft Breezes and Wintry Nights**

_Epilogue: A Different Kind of Family_

To those who lived in the sleepy little town, the small house at the edge of town was nothing special. In fact, there were rumors that it was haunted. Doors and windows opened by themselves, and a strange pale figure could be seen from the windows at night. The townspeople were wary, and kept away from what they did not know.

If only they knew…

~_Five Years Later~_

"You did this on purpose."

"I told you; I didn't realize they were there!"

Claire closed her eyes and counted to ten before glaring at her long time partner, friend, and unofficial husband Jack Frost. The two stood in front of their little house at the edge of a small town in the beginning of spring. Claire had an accusing finger pointed at her small tulip plants that had only started to bud the day before. They had a thick coating of frost on them.

Claire narrowed her blue-green eyes even more. "How could you not see them when we came home last night? It's been getting warmer; these are the first plants I've been able to grow by myself!" She lamented all the hours she spent in the garden, trying to get anything to grow. She was so excited when she saw the flowers peeking out yesterday.

"It was dark!" Jack protested, "And I was…occupied," he thought, blushing as he remembered what they did when they came home yesterday. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to ruin your flowers," he said sincerely before trying to wrap an arm around her shoulders. She shrugged him off, still glaring.

After a beat of awkward silence, Jack spoke. "We're going to be late you know," he pointed out.

Claire sighed in irritation. "I won't be," she muttered, taking to the sky in a fit of pique.

Jack, finally relieved that she decided to see reason, took to the sky as well. However, he was only able to hover a few feet off the ground. He looked up at Claire, who was smirking at him in triumph. "Claire!" he complained.

"Problem darling?" she said, flying lower so she was closer to him, but high enough that she was out of his reach.

He cleared his throat. _Boy is she being impossible today…_ "May I fly with you?" he tried to say without grinding his teeth.

"Can you unfrost my flowers?"

"You know I can't do that."

"Well then I guess you can't fly with me then!" she said, speeding into the air.

"_Claire!_" Jack called out, exasperated. "I apologized already; what more can I do? I'll help you plant more! It's Easter and we're supposed to be a family," he lowered his voice on the last part, trying not to let the hurt show in his voice.

All at once, Jack found himself able to fly up to the same level as her. Tentatively, he held his arms out, and Claire flew into them, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"…That was a stupid little fight, wasn't it," she said, furrowing her brow.

"But the important part is that we get to make up now, right?" Jack said with a gleam in his eye.

"Not right now we can't," Claire said with a wink, "or we'll _really_ be late!" With that, she broke out of his embrace and soared off into the wind. Jack grinned widely and quickly followed after her.

-((Later))-

Claire and Jack landed on the doorstep of a familiar house without a minute to spare. As Jack reached up to knock, Claire heard something strange…

_Better button up honey, or Claire Breeze will send the wind right through you!_

Claire whipped her head around so fast she could have gotten whiplash. "Did you hear that?" she asked Jack, who had snaked a hand into hers.

"Hear what?" he questioned, turning to see her surprised expression. "Something wrong?"

"No," she said, still confused, "It's just…I thought I heard someone say my name…" she said, puzzled.

Jack suddenly smiled brightly. "I'm sure they did; somewhere in the world!"

Claire's eyes widened as she caught what Jack meant. "You mean—"

"Yep!" Jack said, pecking her on the cheek, "You're gaining notoriety," he kissed her again. "Just wait, soon they'll be singing silly songs about you too…" he trailed off to kiss her fully just as the door opened.

"Hey Frost, hands off my sister," the figure said in the door with his arms crossed. "Now hurry and get in here before some kid sees a barefoot, white-haired teenager come in my house." He soon dropped the pretense however, and gave Jack a frosty hug.

"Hunter!" Claire exclaimed as she too entered the house. "You will never _guess_ what just happened…."

And the unique family settled down for their Easter celebrations, with many more to come.

-((The End))-

Yeah that was a silly little fight, but I wanted to show Jack getting in trouble heehee! Well that's it! It's done! There are no plans in my head for a sequel or anything, but sometime down the line who knows? Until then, thank you very much for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! If you like, please look at my other stories!

Thank you very much; let me know what you think!

~freaky-hanyou

**(EDIT:** So you know, I have written a oneshot as well as a sequel for this story as well; I also plan to write more. So if you like Jack and Claire, please put me on Author Alert to enjoy more stories! Also, check out my page for currently written ones!)


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